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

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, and as such it often begins words. The sound is 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.