Page "U" Paragraph 2

During the late Middle Ages, two forms of " v " developed, which were both used for its ancestor u and modern v. The pointed form " v " was written at the beginning of a word, while a rounded form " u " was used in the middle or end, regardless of sound.

So whereas valor and excuse appeared as in modern printing, " have " and " upon " were printed haue and vpon.

The first distinction between the letters " u " and " v " is recorded in a Gothic alphabet from 1386, where " v " preceded " u ".

By the mid-16th century, the " v " form was used to represent the consonant and " u " the vowel sound, giving us the modern letter " u ".

Capital " U " was not accepted as a distinct letter until many years later.