definite article with 'hache'

Question

I'm wondering if one says "el hache", like "el agua", because phonetics take precedence, or "la hache" because orthography takes precedence.

Answer 1

el for la

There a very few exceptions to the rule that el substitutes for la immediately before a noun that begins with a stressed a- or ha-. Here are the major ones:

• la árabe (the Arabic woman)
• La Haya (The Hague)
• la a (the letter A)
• la hache (the letter H)
• la haz (an uncommon word often meaning "face," not to be confused with el haz, which can mean "sheaf," "shaft" or "beam")

...but as mediterrunio points out it is el hacha (ax).

Thank you. Your answer contains exactly the information that I needed. - jlupine, Nov 28, 2010

Answer 2

pero... el hacha

Answer 3

Very interesting post, Quentin, I do wonder how you do this, you seem to find everything everywhere!

I don't know about hache...really ...the letters have always been la, and I have never heard el hache, even though I guess I should have before the change. Never happened, the article has always been la...

I am going to ask the RAE.

Hola mi reina. Siempre he considerado, pero sin pensarlo realmente, que in este caso "la" le pertenece a "letra" in vez del signo de aquella. ¿Pero cómo le afectaría al caso este el cambio? Refieres al cambio de la cantidad de letras, ¿verdad? - 005faa61, Nov 27, 2010

Answer 4

la (letra) hache

la (letra) alfa

similar to... es la (hora) una? - 0074b507, Nov 27, 2010

Answer 5

La hache, that is what I have heard spanish people say on the game show Rulete de suerte.

Answer 6

misread question

Answer 7

la hache segun mi novio chileno