þ

þ (Latin Small Letter Thorn, U+00FE) is a fascinating character with a rich history. Visually, it resembles a 'p' but with its bowl opening to the left side of the stem, and the stem often extending both above and below the baseline. Originating from the runic letter ᚦ (thurisaz), Thorn was widely used in Old English and Old Norse to represent the "th" sound, both voiced (as in "the") and voiceless (as in "thin"). While it gradually fell out of use in English around the 15th century, eventually replaced by the "th" digraph, it remains an integral part of the modern Icelandic alphabet. An interesting historical fact is its occasional confusion with the letter 'y' in early printing, leading to phrases like "Ye Olde Shoppe" where 'y' was a convenient substitute for the no-longer-common thorn. It was often used alongside another Old English "th" character, Latin Small Letter Eth (ð).