Y (letter)

Y is the twenty-fifth and penultimate letter of the English alphabet. Its name sounds like why pronounced with an English accent (i.e. without the American aspiration of wh).

Use in English

y is another version of i - but used very differently (though in exactly the same way in dŷe colour = dîe dead: the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English phonemes).

Unlike i, it can also be a consonant (also called a semi consonant), and as such it often begins words. The sound is that of the end of the i sound in such words as flîer, skìêr, viôla, piáno: yés, yoúng, yoû, yéllow, beyónd, yôlk egg (= yôke ox), yóghurt.

But it is at its most frequent as a vowel at the end of words. Here it is often pronounced ŷ - exactly like î - at the end of monosyllables: whŷ, flŷ, guŷ, stŷ, prŷ, crŷ, trŷ, buŷ and in the middle: stŷle, mŷre, bŷte computer (= bîte eat). Hŷde (as in Hyde Park or Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) sounds exactly like hîde as it does in - and often at the end of - words of two syllables: Julŷ, relŷ, denŷ, pŷlon, nŷlon, pŷthon, sŷphon, decrŷ, supplŷ, applŷ and in words of more than one syllable: beaûtifŷ, dèifŷ, crûcifŷ, mágnifŷ, páralŷse, ánalŷse, and stressed in hŷacinth, dŷnamite, Dionŷsus, papŷrus. The two verbs lîe untrue (regular: lîe lîed lîed) and lîe relax (irregular: lîe lây lâin) both have lŷing as their -ing form.

The short sound is identical to í. It tends to occur after s, c and cr: sýrup, sýstem, sýnagogue, sýndicate, sýnthesis, sýntax, sýmptom, sýmbol sign = cýmbal drum, cýgnet, cýst, cýstic, crýpt, crýptic, crýstal. It is worth noting that sy- is always sý- with the exceptions of Sŷracûse and sŷphon – which is in any case more commonly spelt sîphon.

Double letters after y are very rare: sýllable, Lýttleton, and, with a different vowel sound, mÿrrh. The prefix dýs- bad is often confused with the much more common prefix, dís- negative, which sounds exactly the same: dýsentery, dysléxic, dysfúnction, cf. distâste, disallòw, disfâvour, disdâin, dislîke.

The third vowel sound is the most common use of y as a vowel: at the end of words of more than one syllable, it is an unstressed and short ê: fúnnỳ, síllỳ, jéllỳ, anỳ, manỳ (*énnỳ, *ménnỳ), loônỳ, fíddlỳ, fídgetỳ, scrúffỳ, púffỳ, dóttỳ, héadỳ, réadỳ, stéadỳ, Bíllỳ, knóttỳ, íffỳ, jíffỳ, wòrrỳ, sórrỳ, dóllỳ, jóllỳ, súnnỳ, and also after ê itself in mònêy, hònêy, phônêy, balônêy, mâtêy, hóckêy. When final and stressed this sound is spelt êe: referêe, employêe, trustêe, degrêe.

This sound in the middle of words tends to shorten to ý: pólýthene, páchýderm (*páckíderm). And in final position, y completes other long vowels: awây, sây, thèy, destrŏy (cf. cŏin) buŷ.

In monosyllables, ê and êe are usually used for this sound: thrêe, sêe, wê us = wêe small, bê is = bêe insect. But not always, and here is the rare stressed ỳ (usually with another vowel): kêỳ lock = quaỳ harbour. And ỳ can be an an alternative to ì or ê in names (often French): Lỳse (-z), Mervỳna, Evelỳna and unstressed in Yvónne, Yvétte, plus Ỳves man (= Êve woman) and the French city Lỳón, cf. lîon animal. The suffix -tỳ is unstressed: líbertỳ, eqùalitỳ, fratërnitỳ, súbtletỳ, as is -cỳ: fáncỳ, pólicỳ, délicacỳ, apóstasỳ.

Final y changes to -ie- before the suffixes -s and -ed: crŷ, crîes, trŷ, trîed, wòrry, wòrries, fratërnity, fratërnities but not where there is another vowel preceding the y: destrŏyed, plâyed, prâys, buŷs, óspreys, says (*séz) and of course not where there is an apostrophe intervening (for these are grammatically different): Dáddy’s, bâby’s, Jácky’d, Julŷ’s.

Final ŷ changes to í before some suffixes: wòrrísome, wòrríment.

The full declension of a noun ending in -y:

singular/plural:

normal: àrmy àrmies

possessive: àrmy’s àrmies’

àrmies = àrmy’s = àrmies’ - they are all pronounced the same.

Sámuel Pêpys and Dúncan Sándys sported silent y’s.

yy is found only in foreign words: Ômar Khayyám, Aŷyub.

See also

• Spelling pronunciation
• Letter (alphabet)
• Alphabet
• Writing system
• Orthography
• Written language
• Writing