NYT Dictionary

AITCH

/ˈeɪt͡ʃ/
NounAYTSAdvanced/Professional

Accepted in official NYT Spelling Bee puzzle years: 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026

Meaning

The name of the Latin script letter H/h.

Etymology

Origin: Middle English

From Middle English ache, borrowed from Old French ache, from Vulgar Latin *acca. The source is unclear, but may descend from the vowelless alphabetic sequence ha ka 'H, K' (becoming [aka] when the [h] ceased to be pronounced), as K had low frequency in Late Latin. Doublet of ecchi.

NYT Puzzle Appearances

No published puzzle dates on file for this word yet. It is part of the official NYT Spelling Bee word list for 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.

Join the Spelling Bee Community

Get solving strategies, rare word lists, and puzzle tips in your inbox every week.