The following were abbreviations during Middle and Early Modern English using the letter thorn:
– (þ[SUP]e[/SUP]) a Middle English abbreviation for the word the
– (y[SUP]e[/SUP]) an Early Modern English abbreviation for the word the
Thorn in the form of a "Y" survives to this day in pseudo-archaic usages, particularly the stock prefix "Ye olde". The definite article spelled with "Y" for thorn is often jocularly or mistakenly pronounced /jiː/ or mistaken for the archaic nominative case of the second person plural familiar, "ye".
A handwritten form of thorn that was similar to the letter "y" in appearance with a small "e" written above it as an abbreviation for "the" was common in early Modern English. This can still be seen in reprints of the 1611 edition of the King James Version of the Bible in places such as Romans 15:29, or in the Mayflower Compact. The word was never pronounced with a "y" sound, even when so written.
