In English: It represents the digraph "ae" and is primarily used in words of Latin origin such as:
* Æthelred (Old English name meaning "noble counsel")
* Ælfric (Old English name meaning "elf-power")
* Æsop (Greek storyteller)
In other languages:
* It is used in Danish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Faroese as a separate letter of the alphabet.
* It is sometimes used in Swedish, although the official alphabet does not include it.
* It is used in the International Phonetic Alphabet to represent the sound of the vowel in "cat".
It's important to note:
* It is not the same as the "AE" digraph which is simply two separate letters.
* The "Æ" ligature is a distinct symbol and is not interchangeable with the "AE" digraph.