The letter W is the 23rd letter in the English alphabet
and is commonly pronounced as “double U”. However, the look is more of two Vs
put together, which is why is it commonly noted as a “double V” in many other
languages, like German and French.
When used in words in the Germanic language, the W is often
pronounced as a V, since the V has a F sound. However, this has never been seen
in the English language. The W came from the Nordic language, which was written
as uu. This was commonly used from the 1300s onwards. Over time, the letter
lost the curve and changed to a vv, which was then changed to a W. It took some
time for the letter to be accepted and understood.
There are very few languages that actually use a W in the native
words. These are usually in the Western European area, including Germany,
French, English, Welsh etc. However, when it comes to the Welsh and Cornish
languages, the W represents the letter U instead of a V.
The W can sometimes be seen as a silent letter, depending on the
letters that follow. This is more common with words like wreck, which have the
letter R afterwards.
There are some people who have trouble with saying some letters,
especially Ls. This often makes the words sounds like they have the letter W in
them instead. This is very common in some Asian countries, like Japan and
China.
The letter W is not a common letter in the English alphabet and so
is worth four points in scrabble. You will be lucky to get one, since there are
only two letters in the whole game. If you do find one, you may want to look
for the best way to use them and look for the bonus tiles available.
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