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Mute h
The French h muet is not just silent, but essentially non-existent: words that begin with h muet act as if they begin with a vowel. That is to say that elisions and liaisons are required in front of the h muet, in contrast to the h aspiré, in front of which they are forbidden.
Par exemple : J’hésite à lire les histoires. – I hesitate to read the stories.
- Because hésiter begins with h muet, the elision with je is required.
Je hésiteis incorrect. - Likewise, les histoires is pronounced [lay zee stwar], not
[lay ee stwar]as it would be if histoires started with h aspiré.
There are more words that begin with h muet than with h aspiré, but when in doubt, check a dictionary. The pronunciation key will include some kind of symbol if it’s an h aspiré, or nothing at all if it’s an h muet.
| habile | skillful | ||
| habilité | (f) | fitness | |
| s’habiller | to get dressed | ||
| habits | (m) | clothes | |
| habiter | to live in | ||
| habitude | (f) | habit | |
| hacker | (m) | hacker | |
| Hadès | (m) | Hades | |
| hadj | (m) | hajj | |
| hadron | (m) | hadron | |
| hagard | distraught | ||
| Haïti | (m) | Haiti | |
| haleine | (f) | breath | |
| Halloween | (f) | Halloween | |
| halluciner | to hallucinate | ||
| halo- | (prefix) | ||
| harmonica | (m) | harmonica | |
| harmonie | (f) | harmony | |
| harpagon | (m) | skinflint, Scrooge | |
| Hawaï | (m) | Hawaii | |
| hebdomadaire | weekly | ||
| hébergement | (m) | lodging | |
| héberger | to house | ||
| hébéter | to daze, stupefy | ||
| hébreu | (m) | Hebrew | |
| hectare | (m) | hectare | |
| hectique | hectic | ||
| hédonisme | (m) | hedonism | |
| hégémonie | (f) | hegemony | |
| hélicoptère | (m) | helicopter | |
| hélium | (m) | helium | |
| hélix | (m) | helix | |
| Helsinki | Helsinki | ||
| hématome | (m) | hematoma | |
| hémisphère | (m) | hemisphere | |
| hémophile | hemophiliac | ||
| hémorragie | (f) | hemorrhage | |
| hémorroïde | (f) | hemorrhoid | |
| hépatite | (f) | hepatitis | |
| herbage | (m) | pasture | |
| herbe | (f) | grass | |
| hérédité | (f) | heredity | |
| hériter | to inherit | ||
| héroïne | (f) | heroin, heroine | |
| herpès | (m) | herpes | |
| hésiter | to hesitate | ||
| hétérosexuel | heterosexuel | ||
| heure | (f) | hour | |
| heureux | happy | ||
| hexagone | (m) | hexagon | |
| hiberner | to hibernate | ||
| hibiscus | (m) | hibiscus | |
| hier | yesterday | ||
| hilare | beaming | ||
| Himalaya | (m) | the Himalayas | |
| hindou | Hindu | ||
| hip-hop | (m) | hip-hop | |
| hippodrome | (m) | racetrack | |
| hippopotame | (m) | hippopotamus | |
| hirondelle | (f) | swallow | |
| hirsute | hairy, shaggy | ||
| histoire | (f) | story, history | |
| hiver | (m) | winter | |
| holo- | (prefix) | ||
| hologramme | (m) | hologram | |
| homéopathie | (f) | homeopathy | |
| homicide | (m) | homicide | |
| hommage | (m) | tribute | |
| homme | (m) | man | |
| homo- | (prefix) | ||
| honnête | honest | ||
| honneur | (m) | honor | |
| honorer | to honor | ||
| hôpital | (m) | hospital | |
| horaire | (m) | schedule, timetable | |
| horizon | (m) | horizon | |
| horloge | (f) | clock | |
| hormone | (f) | hormone | |
| horoscope | (m) | horoscope | |
| horreur | (f) | horror | |
| horrible | horrible | ||
| horrifier | to horrify | ||
| horticulture | (f) | horticulture | |
| hospitalité | (f) | hospitality | |
| hostile | hostile | ||
| hôte | (m) | host | |
| huile | (f) | oil | |
| huître | (f) | oyster | |
| humain | (m) | human | |
| humble | humble | ||
| humeur | (f) | mood | |
| humide | humid | ||
| hyacinthe | (f) | hyacinth | |
| hybride | (m) | hybrid | |
| hydr- | (prefix) | ||
| hydraulique | hydraulic | ||
| hydrogène | (m) | hydrogen | |
| hygiène | (f) | hygiene | |
| hyper- | (prefix) | ||
| hypo- | (prefix) | ||
| hystérie | (f) | hysteria | |
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