# Why doesn't H come before G in the alphabet? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 21, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656 "2014-07-21T12:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/81 "2014-07-28T08:07:13Z")
> [@huizot](#): > > \*\*Wgy doesn’t G come before H in tge alpgabet? \*\* > > Yeag, I realize it hoes way back, to tge Pgoenicians, or some otger ancient script, but somewgere alonh tge line it seems to me someone messed up. FTFY ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/82 "2014-07-28T14:02:50Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Satire. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/83 "2014-07-28T17:48:32Z")
I want to hear more about this “dark l” ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/84 "2014-07-28T20:40:27Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Probably not, but feel free to ridicule the whole notion, if you wish. Yep. It’s totally ridiculous and so’s this thread. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Satire. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/85 "2014-07-28T21:48:45Z")
This is the best thread ever. ---
**Author:** ![Subterraneanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Subterraneanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Subterraneanus)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/86 "2014-07-29T00:19:02Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Let me tell you a little story. > > Once upon a time, a long time ago, several of the letters were resting after a hard day’s work. Now there weren’t as many letters then as there are now, because this was a very long time ago. H, who was a tough, strong worker, was looking at J, who was as lovely back then as she is now. H was entranced by J, so he invited her to go for a walk along the stream. > > Well, as time went on, H and J fell in love with each other, and eventually got married. A was the best man, and Z was the maid of honor. After H and J had been married for a couple years, they had a boy. And they named him I. > > And now you know. . . > > the REST of the story. It’s been a gard day’s knihgt And I’ve been workinh like a doh ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/87 "2014-07-29T06:26:06Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > WTF? Yeah, yeah, I know–you’re right. But if you spent more time around here, you’d probably see it. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Yep. It’s totally ridiculous and so’s this thread. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. > > Satire. Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/88 "2014-07-29T11:49:30Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Satire. It was a pun. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/89 "2014-07-29T14:10:44Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Yeah, yeah, I know–you’re right. But if you spent more time around here, you’d probably see it. 😕😕 Is it “avoid giving a straight answer” day or something? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/90 "2014-07-29T15:39:08Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > H doesn’t come before G because H knows how to treat a lady in bed. For the win! ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/91 "2014-07-29T15:52:46Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > H was entranced by J… When I read this I thought it was a fancy way of saying “H was entered by J” ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/92 "2014-07-29T17:59:50Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Apparently the OP thought he/she had found a way to get the rest of us to recognize the essential arbitrariness of alphabetic order. He/she picked a pair of consecutive letters at random, and in asking us why they are ordered the way they are, hoped we would notice this arbitrariness and comment on it. Well, anything that pisses of \*\*Exapno \*\*makes me happy, so there’s that. By the way, lots of things make me happy. ---
**Author:** ![mr.jp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/48db29/32.png) [@mr.jp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr.jp)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656/93 "2014-07-29T18:07:15Z")
I do think it’s a little annoying that it’s slightly sorted by usage count, but not really. So I actually think it would be better if H came earlier, since it’s used more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-h-come-before-g-in-the-alphabet/693656.md?page=4)