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The word "vacuum" has a double u in it.

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Space50
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29 Sep 2020, 2:15 pm

Not a "w", but a double u.



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29 Sep 2020, 2:20 pm

Yes. You are right, and double u means two of them. Two "u"'s put together but with a little gap between them.

Uhmmm. Why are we writing about "u"'s?


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29 Sep 2020, 2:31 pm

"Bhwakiyuhm." :lol:


I don't know! :o English spellings are funny.

If "Vacuum" = "Vhac-ci'um". Why not "Vhac-cu'um"?

Then "Vacum" = "Vhac-cum"/"Vhak-khum"/"Vhas-sum"
????? :?: :?: Bleh. Nevermind how I tried to write as I heard it.


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29 Sep 2020, 2:35 pm

Odkurzacz :P


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29 Sep 2020, 3:54 pm

Well, that sucked.



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29 Sep 2020, 4:26 pm

Does anyone know of ANY other word in the English language that has a pair of U's back to back like that?

Vacuum" HAS to be the only one! Or the only commonly used word like that. Though it does seem to be needed for the way the word sounds. It even sounds a little like a vacuum cleaner- va-ruuum...

Dutch has double A's (like the original place named "Haarlem"). But I have never even seen a Dutch word with a pair of Us.



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29 Sep 2020, 4:28 pm

And while we are on the subject...why is the letter "W" called "double U", when its not a "double U", but a double V?

In French the same letter is indeed called "doubla Vee", or "double V".



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29 Sep 2020, 4:52 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
But I have never even seen a Dutch word with a pair of Us.


- avontuur (adventure)
- buurman (neighbour)
- duurt (lasts)
- figuur (figure)
- guur (bleak)
- huur (rent)
- kuur (cure)
- muur (wall)
- natuur (nature)
- puur (pure)
- uur (hour)
- vuur (fire)
- zuur (acid)



Last edited by Catlover5 on 29 Sep 2020, 9:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Space50
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29 Sep 2020, 5:33 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
Does anyone know of ANY other word in the English language that has a pair of U's back to back like that?

Vacuum" HAS to be the only one! Or the only commonly used word like that. Though it does seem to be needed for the way the word sounds. It even sounds a little like a vacuum cleaner- va-ruuum...

Dutch has double A's (like the original place named "Haarlem"). But I have never even seen a Dutch word with a pair of Us.


There is "continuum". But yes, two u's together in English is very rare. Two A's together as in "aardvark", "baa", and "bazaar" is also very rare in English.



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29 Sep 2020, 5:46 pm

Rightfully "vacuum" should be spelt "vacume", as having 2 u's together isn't very common in the English language.


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29 Sep 2020, 5:54 pm

Joe90 wrote:
Rightfully "vacuum" should be spelt "vacume", as having 2 u's together isn't very common in the English language.


Having two As together isn't very common either, but an Aardvark is still an Aardvark.

The English language is full of variations and nuances. It's a pretty chaotic language which is why it's so frustrating for others to learn.

Vacuum is vacuum, that's just how it is.



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29 Sep 2020, 7:58 pm

Apparently Latin has "uu" words too. Vacuum comes from Latin vacuus meaning empty.

Etymology has been a long time special interest. Once I called it "entomology" to a Greek-American friend :oops:


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29 Sep 2020, 8:07 pm

CarlM wrote:
Apparently Latin has "uu" words too. Vacuum comes from Latin vacuus meaning empty.

Etymology has been a long time special interest. Once I called it "entomology" to a Greek-American friend :oops:


I am into etymology too, but I also find it hard to keep those two words straight." The study of bugs", and "the study of word origins" sound so similar.



Space50
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30 Sep 2020, 4:44 am

naturalplastic wrote:
CarlM wrote:
Apparently Latin has "uu" words too. Vacuum comes from Latin vacuus meaning empty.

Etymology has been a long time special interest. Once I called it "entomology" to a Greek-American friend :oops:


I am into etymology too, but I also find it hard to keep those two words straight." The study of bugs", and "the study of word origins" sound so similar.


Two other words that also get confused are "astronomy" and "astrology". I tell people that I'm interested in outer space and they say "oh, you're into astrology." No, astronomy. Astrology is something different. Something that most astronomers don't believe in.



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30 Sep 2020, 5:24 am

So does the word "continuum", what's your point?


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30 Sep 2020, 5:29 am

Space50 wrote:
naturalplastic wrote:
CarlM wrote:
Apparently Latin has "uu" words too. Vacuum comes from Latin vacuus meaning empty.

Etymology has been a long time special interest. Once I called it "entomology" to a Greek-American friend :oops:


I am into etymology too, but I also find it hard to keep those two words straight." The study of bugs", and "the study of word origins" sound so similar.


Two other words that also get confused are "astronomy" and "astrology". I tell people that I'm interested in outer space and they say "oh, you're into astrology." No, astronomy. Astrology is something different. Something that most astronomers don't believe in.


So people who fly to the moon are not astral travellers? :D

Visions of people in a little Vauxhall flying to the moon.


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