# U, V, 2xU

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-v-2xu/228257>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 9, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-v-2xu/228257 "2004-02-09T12:13:24Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-v-2xu/228257/1 "2004-02-09T12:13:24Z")

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Is the order of “U, V, W” within the English Alphabet coincidental or is there a symbolic and phoenetic relationship betwixt the three? My assumption is that the “double-u” is a graphic representation of double “V” (“V” was the Roman representation of “U”.)- This is just speculation, however.

Does anyone know anything about this?

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**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-v-2xu/228257/2 "2004-02-09T12:42:42Z")

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IIRC, some of the really old inscriptions (on Roman ruins and suchlike) use V’s where we would use U’s. So I would guess that U was originally a varient of V, and “double-U” was originally a varient of U.

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**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-v-2xu/228257/3 "2004-02-09T13:02:40Z")

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“betwixt” indeed. you get 50 points for using _that_ word in a sentence.

sorry about the hijack, i just gotta pick on you **devilsknew**! 🙂

–from the peanut gallery.

p.s. anybody hungry for a “twix” now? hehehe

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**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-v-2xu/228257/4 "2004-02-09T14:14:03Z")

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Well, I was going to use “between the three”—somehow “between” didn’t seem appropriate for anything beyond a pairing, which led me to “betwixt”…dunno if that makes sense or not. If I win a candy bar for that logic …make it a TWIX (Make it Caramel…the PB TWIX is an aberration!).

P.S.- **GGURL** , I have a solution to an earlier topic you brought up in another forum- “I would impregnate you and make you an honest woman, or make you an honest woman and then impregnate you, whichever you want!”—just offering some alternatives (U-NO-ME).

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**Author:** ![Thirty-Nine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f0a364/32.png) [@Thirty-Nine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thirty-Nine)\
**Post date:** [February 9, 2004, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-v-2xu/228257/5 "2004-02-09T15:03:51Z")

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I believe that in German, the W is actually named the ‘double-v’ which I always felt made more sense.