Aitch
/eɪtʃ/noun
The name of the letter H.
Did you know?Aitch was historically spelled forms such as “ache” and “hache,” creating a long-running confusion with the unrelated word “ache.”
Etymological Timeline
Classical Latin
Latin
ha
“The spoken name of the letter H; the exact origin of the Latin letter-name is uncertain.”
Old French
Old French
ache / hache
“Name of the letter H, probably influenced in form by the French word hache, meaning “axe.””
Middle English
Middle English
ache / aȝ
“Name of the letter H, with spellings reflecting French and English pronunciation.”
16th Century
English
aitch
“The increasingly standardized English name for H.”
Modern English
English
aitch
“The conventional name of the eighth letter of the English alphabet.”