Editing W (section)

==Name==
Double-u, whose name reflects stages in the letter's evolution when it was considered two of the same letter, a double U, is the only modern English letter whose name has more than one syllable.<ref group="in">However, "Izzard" was formerly a two-syllable pronunciation of the letter '''[[Z]]'''.</ref> It is also the only English letter whose name is not pronounced with any of the sounds that the letter typically makes in words, with the exception of [[H]] for some speakers.

Some speakers shorten the name "double u" into "dub-u" or just "dub"; for example, [[University of Wisconsin]], [[University of Washington]], [[University of Wyoming]], [[University of Waterloo]], [[University of the Western Cape]] and [[University of Western Australia]] are all known colloquially as "U Dub", and the automobile company [[Volkswagen]], abbreviated "VW", is sometimes pronounced "V-Dub".<ref>{{cite web|last=Volkswagen|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgEvy60bZYI| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502184847/http://youtube.com/watch?v=qgEvy60bZYI| archive-date=2006-05-02|title=VW Unpimp – Drop it like its hot|website=YouTube|access-date=November 3, 2011}}</ref> The fact that many website URLs require a "[[www.]]" prefix has been influential in promoting these shortened pronunciations.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

In other [[West Germanic languages]], its name is monosyllabic: German {{lang|de|We}} {{IPA|/veː/}}, Dutch {{lang|nl|wee}} {{IPA|/ʋeː/}}. In many languages, its name literally means "double v": Portuguese ''duplo vê'',<ref group="in">In [[Brazilian Portuguese]], it is ''[[wikt:dáblio#Portuguese|dáblio]]'', which is a loanword from the English ''double-u''.</ref> Spanish ''doble ve'' (though it can be spelled ''uve doble''),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taringa.net/posts/noticias/7792488/Real-Academia-Espanola-elimina-la-Ch-y-ll-del-alfabeto.html |title=Real Academia Española elimina la Ch y ll del alfabeto |publisher=Taringa! |date=November 5, 2010 |access-date=November 4, 2011 |archive-date=June 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603013419/http://www.taringa.net/posts/noticias/7792488/Real-Academia-Espanola-elimina-la-Ch-y-ll-del-alfabeto.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref group="in">In [[Latin American Spanish]], it is ''doble ve'', similar [[wikt:W#Spanish|regional variations]] exist in other Spanish-speaking countries.</ref> French ''double vé'', [[Icelandic language|Icelandic]] ''tvöfalt vaff'', [[Czech language|Czech]] ''dvojité vé'', [[Estonian language|Estonian]] ''kaksisvee'', [[Finnish language|Finnish]] ''kaksois-vee'', etc.