W (dŭb"'l ū), the twenty-third letter of the
English alphabet, is usually a consonant, but sometimes it is a vowel, forming the second element of certain diphthongs, as in few,
how. It takes its written form and its
name from the repetition of a V, this being the original form of the Roman capital letter which we call U.
Etymologically it is most related to v and
u. See V,
and U. Some
of the uneducated classes in England, especially in London, confuse w and v, substituting the one for the other, as
weal for veal, and veal for weal; wine for vine, and vine for wine, etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 266-268.
This site was used  times.
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Hear it pronounced