Why is "once" prononounced as "wonce" instead of what the letters of the word really sound like?
by 
American-In-Training
ANSWERS: 3
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The (American)English Language has many rules, but more importantly, it has alot of exceptions. This is because of the fact that our language is made up from many different languages. This word was derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "anex" The W in the word is omitted.
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Here is a paste of what spellcheck.com had as a definition of 'once'- from Merriam-Webster dictionary: Main Entry: once Pronunciation: 'w&n(t)s Function: adverb Etymology: Middle English ones, from genitive of on one 1 : one time and no more <rode a horse only once> 2 : at any one time : under any circumstances : EVER <didn't once thank me> 3 : at some indefinite time in the past : FORMERLY <was once a booming mining town> 4 : by one degree of relationship <first cousin once removed> - once and for all 1 : with finality : DEFINITIVELY 2 : for the last time - once in a while : NOW AND THEN
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Like the word "one," its first letter used to be pronounced like the "o" in only--which is actually kind of like the "ow" in "throw." In the course of time, hardly anything is as common as for two sounds to reverse themselves, so "owne" and "ownce" could become "wone" and "wonce"... I'd like to be more exact, but people aren't thinking about the fact that words and sounds are changing, so they don't record the steps. When I was a boy, we pronounced "I'll" like "EYE-ell." Now almost everyone says "Ahl." When my grandfather was a boy, "our" rhymed with "hour". Now it's pronounced "are." This happens in all languages, faster in some, slower in others, according to John McWhirter, who has published several good books on popular linguistics.
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