A Brand New W

[AllWalker]

W. It's a beautiful letter, don't you think? It is the star attraction in any attempt to gain information (who, what when, where, how). We need it for everything from Free Will to Free Willy.

Whatever. It's a good letter.

A good letter with a terrible name.

It is the only polysyllabic letter (doub-le-you). It is the only letter named after another letter. And rather uncreatively, too. "Oh, this thing looks like two Us. Whatever shall we call it?" It prevents the out-loud spelling of certain, mostly non-English in origin, words and names. APPLE = A-double-P-L-E. VACUUM = V-A-C-U-U-M. Spell vacuum with a double U and people will freak out and civilisation will end.

So I propose a renaming of the valient letter. Shrinking it down to a single syllable. My first thought was "dub", but that is bad for so many reasons. One is it reminds me of a certain president. The other is that all other letters, when their pronounciaton is spelled out, contains the letter itself. (H = aich, M = em, etc).

My proposal: W = wub.

Seriously. Wub. Rhymes with "bub" or "sub". Wub.

Wub wub wub dot mellophant dot com

Remember, you read it first here. Future historians, take note. I invented wub.

[OneCentStamp]

I agree with any or all of your suggestions, simply because the name of the letter as currently spoken instantly conjures the image of the last American president.

[Trojan Man]

What about the alphabet song? You're trying to kill it? 'T U V, wub X Y and Z....'

That not withstanding, I heartily support your ingenious plan to fix this crazy glitch in our language. We salute you!

[OtakuLoki]

Wubba?

[AllWalker]

What about the alphabet song? You're trying to kill it? 'T U V, wub X Y and Z....'

That not withstanding, I heartily support your ingenious plan to fix this crazy glitch in our language. We salute you!

In my opinion, it still works. You have to say wub a little bit long, but all songs mess with timing of words.

Give it ten years. It'll sound natural by then.

[Oliveloaf]

Wub TF?

[Zuul]

I heartily approve of this. Henceforth, I shall try to find every excuse I can to work "wub" into a conversation.














...um. This might take some effort.

[Trojan Man]

Be careful, Zuul - you might wub people the wong way.

[Glazer]

Be careful, Zuul - you might wub people the wong way.

Thread winner!

[Trojan Man]

Thread winner!

[Taumpy]

Considering half of the entries for "wub" on Urban Dictionary have it as a cutesy alternative for "love", I'd say that's a great nomination. "Wub" is in general is too neat a sound to be used so eye-rollingly.

[Inner Stickler]

Now watch as half the english speaking world begins saying double-wub.

[Zuul]

Based off of how I understand the world to now work, all we have to do to get wub to replace double-u is to start a Facebook page called I bet we can get 1,000,000 people to say wub instead of double-u.

It worked for getting Betty White on SNL, anyway.

[Inner Stickler]

Group made. Now get out there and make people join.

[Zuul]

Yes, there really is a Facebook group.

[Zuul]

Some have said "wee" would make more sense. It would not. Most letters don't rhyme with "ee": A, F, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, Q, R, S, U, X, Y, and, for some, Zed. Wub is matching the monosyllabic pattern without confusing things with another "ee" rhymer.

If you sing the alphabet song with "wee" it just descends into a bunch of screeching at the end of the song. Wub--if you draw it out a few syllables, dramatically--fits perfectly. "Double-you" is a mouthful. Wub is clean, pure, almost meditative.

Keep the wub alive.

[jali]

Will you w my back, please?

[AllWalker]

Wow... so much support for the movement. Thank you, guys.

Wub is clearly better than "wee". Too many letters rhyme as it is. We need no more.

I have a few other ideas for renaming letters, if anyone is interested. For example, pronouncing G with a hard G. Gee, not gee. Like "gear", but to rhyme with pee. But I am less passionate about that then I am about wub.

Wub!

[Marsilia]

Some have said "wee" would make more sense.

But! But! "Wee" is synonymous with "urinate," and we already have "pee" as a letter. Can we really handle two letters that will make five year olds break into giggles?

Bring on the Wub!

[Trojan Man]

Wow... so much support for the movement. Thank you, guys.

Wub is clearly better than "wee". Too many letters rhyme as it is. We need no more.

I have a few other ideas for renaming letters, if anyone is interested. For example, pronouncing G with a hard G. Gee, not gee. Like "gear", but to rhyme with pee. But I am less passionate about that then I am about wub.

Wub!

'G' is a hard sound in German, the language of love. btw, 'W' in German is pronounced 'veh', and 'V' is pronounced 'fow'. Go figure.

[Inner Stickler]

Clearly german is the language of the devil.

[Zuul]

But! But! "Wee" is synonymous with "urinate," and we already have "pee" as a letter. Can we really handle two letters that will make five year olds break into giggles?

Well, we already have "B" and "M". It apparently made my mother giggle while singing the ABC's when she was a five year old.

[hatesfreedom]

sploosh

[Trojan Man]

> bump <

[Zuul]

When I do Hooked on Phonics with my littlest niece, I utilize the concept of wub to help her remember the sound it makes.