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Webster 1913 Edition

J

J

(jā)
.
J is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. It is a later variant form of the Roman letter I, used to express a consonantal sound, that is, originally, the sound of English y in yet. The forms J and I have, until a recent time, been classed together, and they have been used interchangeably.
J is a compound vocal consonant, nearly equivalent in sound to dzh. It is exactly the same as g in gem. See Guide to Pronunciation , §§ 179, 211, 239.

Webster 1828 Edition

J

J.

This letter has been added to the English Alphabet in modern days; the letter I being written formerly in words where J is now used. It seems to have had the sound of y, in many words, as it still has in the German. The English sound of this letter may be expressed by dzh, or edzh, a compound sound coinciding exactly with that of g, in genius; the French j, with the articulation d preceding it. It is the tenth letter of the English Alphabet.

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