hwæt
/xwæt/
The Old English word for "what" is hwæt.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
hwæt is the nominative singular neuter form of the interrogative pronoun. A related form, hwæðer, is used specifically to express "whether" when presenting a choice between two options.
How do you pronounce it?
/xwæt/
Did you know?
- In some ancient contexts, the exclamation hwæt! was used as a powerful opening to grab attention, similar to saying 'Listen!' or 'Lo!' in poetry.
- The Old English word hwæt is not just a question word, but can also mean 'quick', 'sharp', or 'brave' when used as an adjective.
- The character 'æ' in hwæt is called an ash. It represents a vowel sound between 'a' and 'e', which was common in Old English but is no longer a standard letter in modern English.
Examples in context
- Hwæt wille hē etan?What does he want to eat?This sentence is useful for practicing the form hwæt in a question about desire.Tatoeba #13876271 by rul, translation #13324729 by rul
- Hwæt cwiþ þīn mōdor?What does your mom say?This sentence is useful for practicing the form hwæt in a question about speech.Tatoeba #13899756 by rul, translation #12362180 by rul
- Hwæt biþ word?What is a word?This sentence is useful for practicing the form hwæt in a question about definitions.Tatoeba #8739391 by shekitten, translation #8738165 by shekitten
- Hwæt is þis?What is this?
Example conversation
Two siblings are discussing a mysterious object found in the garden.
- ÆthelflædHwæt is þis?What is this?
- ÆthelstanIc ne wāt.I do not know.
- ÆthelflædHwæt sindon hīe?What are they?
- ÆthelstanHīe sind stānas.They are stones.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “what” translations and entries hwæt, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hwæt, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
