🔤 Lesson 24 – The silent h and the aspirated h
Discover the crucial difference between the two types of "h" in French
📘 1. Simple explanation
In French, there is two types of "h"" which are pronounced in a completely different way:
H SILENT
✅ We make the connection
The "h" is not pronounced
Example :
men
H ASPIRATED
❌ No connection
The "h" blocks the connection
Example :
the heroes
💡 Mnemonic tip:
""Silent H" = silent like a whispered secret (soft liaison). "Aspirated H" = as if inhaling air before speaking (blocks the liaison).
✨ 2. Examples
Silent H
men
✅ Pronounced: /lez‿ɔm/
a hotel
✅ Pronounced: /œ̃n‿otɛl/
the hours
✅ Pronounced: /lez‿œʁ/
H aspirated
the heroes
❌ Pronounced: /le eʁo/ (no liaison)
the bean
❌ We pronounce: /lə aʁiko/ (no connection)
the hedge
❌ We pronounce: /la ɛ/ (no connection)
🎯 Important rule
There is no simple rule for determining whether an "h" is silent or aspirated. One must memorize Words. In general, words of Germanic origin have an aspirated "h", and words of Latin/Greek origin have a silent "h".
💬 3. Mini-situation
The receptionist:
« Men arrive.»
✅ Silent H → liaison with "les""
A customer:
«"Have you seen the latest films with..." hero ? »
❌ Aspirated H → no liaison with "des""
The receptionist:
«"Yes, and I read their history Also. "»
✅ Silent H → liaison with "leur""
📝 Important note:
""Homme" and "hôtel" have a silent H → we make the liaison. "Héros" has an aspirated H → no liaison. "Histoire" has a silent H → we make the liaison.
📚 4. Vocabulary
hotel
/otɛl/
man
/ɔm/
hero
/eʁo/
bean
/aʁiko/
history
/istwaʁ/
💪 Pronunciation exercise:
Practice: "les hommes" (with liaison) vs "les héros" (without liaison). "un hôtel" (with liaison) vs "le haricot" (without liaison).
✍️ 5. Interactive exercise
Silent h or aspirated h?
1. "man" →
2. "hero" →
3. "hotel" →
🖼️ 6. Image idea for memorization
A hotel + a superhero
HOTEL
H SILENT
a hotel
✅ With connection
HERO
H ASPIRATED
the heroes
❌ Without connection
🌟 Memory tip:
Visualize this contrasting image: the hotel (calm, smooth transition) vs. the superhero (strong, no transition). Associate a silent "h" with calm places and an aspirated "h" with strong heroes!
English 
French
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