/ˈdʌb.l̩.juː/ vs double u

[Odessa Dawn]

Should I pay a close attention in order not to mislead others when I pronounce the letter W, please? It seems that they (W/ˈdʌb.l̩.juː/ and double u) don't share the same pronunciation. However, I think that double u needs a slight pause after the word double then utter u. Will you help me make it clear please?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Should I pay a close attention in order not to mislead others when I pronounce the letter W, please? It seems that they (W/ˈdʌb.l̩.juː/ and double u) don't share the same pronunciation. However, I think that double u needs a slight pause after the word double then utter u. Will you help me make it clear please?

I am not sure what you are asking. The pronunciation of "w" (and I am not a phoneticist) is "double you". The pause between the words is no greater than that between any other two words.

 

[probus]

Should I pay a close attention in order not to mislead others when I pronounce the letter W, please? It seems that they (W/ˈdʌb.l̩.juː/ and double u) don't share the same pronunciation. However, I think that double u needs a slight pause after the word double then utter u. Will you help me make it clear please?

You are correct on both points: there is a slight pause in double u, and the name of the letter W does not have that pause.

In AmE, the name of the letter W is rather abbreviated in some accents. That is why, when George W Bush was president, many of his compatriots delighted in referring to him as Dubya.

 

[5jj]

You are correct on both points: there is a slight pause in double u, and the name of the letter W does not have that pause.

In addition, the final syllable of the name of the letter is unstressed; the U of 'double U' is stressed.

 

[emsr2d2]

In BrE, when saying the name of the letter W, the stress is on the first syllable and I don't think there is a gap between the two "words". It's "dubbleyou".

 

[SoothingDave]

I believe the proliferation of "www." addresses increased the use of the shorter "dubya" form outside of the dialects where it originated.

 

[emsr2d2]

I believe the proliferation of "www." addresses increased the use of the shorter "dubya" form outside of the dialects where it originated.

Thankfully, I've noticed that many people have, quite rightly, stopped bothering to say "www" at the beginning of URLs. In the vast majority of cases, they are redundant. Almost all websites can now be reached by simply typing in the part after "www" but including the .com, .co.uk etc. You will find that if you simply type "usingenglish.com" into the address bar (without the commencing www), you will still get to this website.