# Do you aspirate your aitches? Is it pretentious to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 24, 2024, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021 "2024-05-24T13:33:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/81 "2024-05-28T00:41:11Z")
I expected someone to do this link: > **[Catch Up: Cool Whip | FAMILY GUY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfVEvgWd4ek%2F)** > > Catch up on FAMILY GUY!Subscribe now for more Family Guy clips: http://fox.tv/SubscribeFamilyGuyWatch more videos from Family Guy: http://fox.tv/FamilyGuySea... Brian ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/82 "2024-05-28T14:47:38Z")
Yes, I aspirate for the most part (except for the ‘who’ family of pronouns). Side note: When the Leonard Maltin/Richard Bann book on “Our Gang” came out many years ago, I was surprised to see the character Weezer was actually spelled “Wheezer,” and he got that nickname because, duh, he allegedly wheezed a lot. That made no sense to me, as I wondered, “Well. . . If that’s his name, why do all the kids call him “Weezer” instead of “Wheezer,” since it is spelled correctly. I just chalked it up to some regional affectation. Not to be confused with the “Steel Magnolias” “Weezer,” which was spelled “Ouiser.” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/83 "2024-05-30T06:41:26Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Non-aspirating H-er here. When I say the 5 ‘Ws’ of journalism out loud: “Who, What, Why, Where, When” pronouncing all the words as ‘hw’, it not only sounds weird to me, it’s actually a bit tiring to say. Pronouncing _who_ as _hwoo_ would sound weird to me as well. The others all get the _hw_ treatment. When I speak a “wh-“ word, the listener generally should have no doubt that transcribing it will require that an h be deployed. I also pronounce _comfortable_ such that the word “comfort” can be clearly distinguished. (but I see no reason to spell “h” as _aitch_.\* _That’s_ where it drifts into pretentiousness, in my book) \*except when a crossword puzzle constructor decides to get cute ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/84 "2024-05-30T06:56:56Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > I expected someone to do this link: > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfVEvgWd4ek/](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfVEvgWd4ek/) > > Brian Stewie’s pronunciation is flawless. Brian is the weirdo in this scene (Stewie’s a little bit of a weirdo, too but only because he’s saying the name of the product so many times. Maybe it’s a product placement deal, where he’s getting paid every time he says “Cool Whip”). ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/85 "2024-05-30T12:10:58Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I also pronounce _comfortable_ such that the word “comfort” can be clearly distinguished. I had to think of how I pronounce it. I think if I was saying something that emphasized the word, such as “are you comfortable?” I would pronounce it the 4-syllable way like you; but if it was one of many words in a long paragraph I was saying, I probably pronounce it as a 3-syllable “COMF-ter-bull”. How about the pronunciation of ‘caramel’-- “CAR-mel” or “CARE-ah-mel”? I again am not sure when I stop to think about it, but probably most often the first, 2-syllable version. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2024, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/86 "2024-05-30T13:35:14Z")
> [@solost](#): > > How about the pronunciation of ‘caramel’-- “CAR-mel” or “CARE-ah-mel” Care-a-MELLE! ---
**Author:** ![GailForce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dfb087/32.png) [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/87 "2024-06-12T12:54:16Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > no reason to spell “h” as _aitch_. I came across this spelling in a Somerset Maugham story. The context was describing Cockney class distinctions, but he wasn’t being pretentious in the least, just descriptive. ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/88 "2024-06-12T22:52:08Z")
The question “do you aspirate your aitches” is a very confusing way to ask how people pronounce the “wh-” digraph. Nonetheless it’s been a very interesting discussion. I am from the part of the world that distinguishes “wine” and “whine” AND pronounces the letter haitch as “haitch”. I don’t think it’s pretentious, it’s just how we speak. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/89 "2024-06-13T15:31:15Z")
It’s not flawless. When Brian asks him to say “whip” by itself, Stewie pronounces it like “wip” It’s only when he says “Cool Whip” does it come out as “Hwip” ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/90 "2024-06-13T21:06:00Z")
Can you link to the scene? Does Brian ask Stewie to say “whip” or does he ask him to say “wip?” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/91 "2024-06-14T00:46:17Z")
It’s posted up above. It’s the clip that you were replying about I thought. [Cool Hwip](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfVEvgWd4ek) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/92 "2024-06-14T02:32:45Z")
As I suspected, Brian asks him to say “wip.” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/93 "2024-06-14T02:43:44Z")
To me, Brian asked him to say “whip” like the thing that Indiana Jones uses. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/94 "2024-06-14T09:14:43Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > As I suspected, Brian asks him to say “wip.” ⁢ Neither spellcheck nor Google recognize Wip as a word. So if we assume he’s not saying actual words, then Brian asks Stewie to say “Cool Wip” and Stewie says it wrong. Anyways, the one I remember him getting wrong is saying “Whil Wheaton.” ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021/95 "2024-06-14T20:11:28Z")
The best part about that clip is the captions on YouTube. They spell it “Hwhip” when Stewie says it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-aspirate-your-aitches-is-it-pretentious-to/1002021.md?page=4)