Pronouncing the letter h in French

Read more about how to use Pronouncing the letter h in French.
Feel the need to learn new grammar tips fast? Learn French online and test your grammar knowledge with Frantastique for free.

TEST YOUR FRENCH Free trial and no commitment to buy
4,6 on App Store, Play Store and Trustpilot
More than 7 million users

Pronouncing the letter h

At the start of a word, the letter h is either:
• silent: the silent h doesn't alter the pronunciation. As with words which start with a vowel, we make liasons and contractions (le/la → l', de → d').

un hôpital , les hôpitaux a hospital, hospitals 
un hôtel , des hôtels a hotel, hotels
l'histoire , les histoires the story , stories
un habit , des habits an item of clothing,  items of clothing

• aspirated or voiced: the aspirated h is considered to be like a consonant, so we don't make any liaisons or contractions.

un héros , les héros  a hero, heroes
le hibou , les hiboux an owl, owls
un haricot , des haricots a bean, beans

In the middle of a word, the letter h allows us to separate two vowel sounds:
une trahison a treason, a betrayal
incompréhensible incomprehensible
ébahi dumbstruck
We don't usually pronounce the letter h after a consonant.
le bonheur happiness
une bibliothèque a library
Special cases: ch is generally pronounced che , and ph is pronounced like the letter f .
un chat a cat
un éléphant an elephant

Still having trouble with 'Pronouncing the letter h'? Master the rules of French grammar and improve your French level thanks to our online French lessons Frantastique. We're offering a 7-day free trial, so what are you waiting for?



What our users say:

Pleasure

         

I enjoy doing my online French lessons. Only ten minutes daily are enough...Thank you!

Innovative

         

I love your innovative method which allows me to learn a new language and have fun at the same time!

Unique

         

Your method is unique! Your courses have helped me to progress and gain confidence during my travels.

Progress

         

Gymglish has allowed me to improve my French. A daily routine I wouldn't miss for anything in the world!

More testimonials.


Looking to improve French for beginners? Frantastique provides effective and fun training!

Tips for learning 'Pronouncing the letter h'? Share them with us!

TEST YOUR FRENCH