 |
|
| Share / Tweet / Pin Me! | |
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 | |
Related lessons
Share / Tweet / Pin Me!
This free website is created with love and a great deal of work. If you love it, please consider making a 
Fear of speaking, glossophobia, is one of the most common phobias – even just in one’s native language. If you feel nervous when speaking French, it’s probably due to a lack of confidence in your skills. The obvious solution is to improve your French, but there are also other ways to increase your confidence and feel more comfortable speaking French.
Learn how to translate French infinitives, imperatives, and participles into English.