W (dŭb′ l ū), the twenty-third letter, is a consonant usually, but sometimes a semivowel. Being made at the lips, it is classed as a voiced or sonant labial, as in we, inward. W’s close relation to o͞o, for it begins with this sound, makes it a semivowel, as in war, woe, woo. It is a consonant when beginning a word or syllable, a vowel when ending either. W, if not silent, is always followed by a vowel in the same syllable, as above. W, after a vowel in the same syllable and before r, is silent as a consonant, as in glow, wring. W first came into use in the 13th century. Before v was specialized as a consonantal sign, w was called “doubled v,” and from this it takes its shape. Its name, however, comes from u doubled. Some uneducated Englishmen, especially in London, confuse v and w, saying weal for veal, vine for wine. Even well-educated Englishmen pronounce when as w’en.
