The history of why Q is almost always followed by U is fascinating, and dates back to when the Normans invaded England in 1066. Before that, English didn’t even have a Q; it used “cw” to replicate the sound. After the invasion, though, the spelling of English was changed to match the French ways: “cw” was replaced with “qu.”
So can we blame it on the French? Not exactly, because they got that spelling from the Romans … who actually got it from the Etruscans, who actually got it from the Phoenicians.
Following the trail of language is always so much fun in a brain-tickling way. Watch Arika Okrent explain the history of Q and U in the video below.
