H - French Pronunciation of A

The letter H is always silent in French. However, there are two different kinds of H's:

1. H muet - the majority of H's are silent: the word acts exactly as if it began with a vowel. This means that liaisons and contractions are done as if the H were not there, e.g., l'homme.
    
2. H aspiré - H's in words borrowed from other languages are usually aspirate. They are still not pronounced, but you cannot make a liaison or a contraction in front of them, e.g., le hockey.

To find out whether the H in a particular word is muet or aspiré, consult this list or a good French dictionary. There will be an asterisk or some other symbol to distinguish the two kinds of H's.

French words with H

Click on the links below to hear the words pronounced in French:

homme   (man)

hockey   (hockey)

haut   (high)

hiver   (winter)

Letter combinations with H (click for detailed lessons)

CH
PH
TH

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