The excellent folks at Daily Writing Tips have weighed in on the question that’s on everyone’s mind: Should you pronounce the “h” in “-wh-“ words like whistle, whiz, and overwhelm?

DWT’s balanced response is very much in accord with my linguist colleague Laurel Sutton’s assertion that there is no “should” in the evolution of language.

Even so, those of us who pronounce the “h” may, just occasionally, continue to whine over “whine” over wine.