wh-

wh- respelling of O.E. hw- attested from 11c., but not the common form until after c.1400; also added to some borrowed words (WHISK (Cf. whisk), WHELK (Cf. whelk)) and some native words formerly spelled with simple w- or h- (WHOLE (Cf. whole), WHORE (Cf. whore)). Proper pronunciation has been much in dispute in educated speech.