How many words have a silent h?

Words with a silent h (58)
WordPronunciation (IPA)
hostler/ˈ(h)ɒs.lə/
hrivna/ˈɦɹɪu̯nʲɑ/
hoatzin/wɑːtˈsiːn/ /həʊˈætsɪn/
hold-upper/l/ /ceb/ /holdupper/

What English words start with silent h?

hourly, hourglass, honesty, honestly, honorarium, honored, honoring, as well as their British equivalents of course (honour, honoured, honouring), honorary, heiress, heirdom, heirloom, heirship.

Is H is silent in hotel?

In the past, both “an hotel” and “a hotel” were commonly used because English words of French origin beginning with an “H” (such as “hotel”) used to be pronounced without it (so “hotel” would be pronounced just “otel”). Nonetheless, current usage inclines towards using “a”, not “an”, and always pronouncing the “H”.

Why is H silent in honor?

Honor derives from from Anglo-French honour, Old French onor, honor, but: The initial h in honest, honor, etc., is merely etymological, the sound having already disappeared when the word came into ME use. (Century Dictionary). Hone (n.)

What makes a silent H?

A silent “h” can be found at the beginning ( h onor), middle (ag h ast), or end (stomac h ) of words. An “h” can be silent on its own, or as part of a consonant digraph (a combination of letters that produce one single sound). A few examples of words with a silent “h” are: ec h o, h onest, psyc h ic, and w h ile.

Is the h silent in what?

Why is h silent in hour?

According to the OED, the word hour comes from Norman French, where it was spelled houre, but pronounced without the /h/ because /h/s are never pronounced in French. There are a number of other words borrowed from the French where we also don’t pronounce the /h/, e.g. honest and heir.

Is the h silent in Vehicle?

The H in the word vehicle doesn’t have a strong /h/ sound. Some people may use an /h/ sound, but you really don’t need to. If you say ve➝hicle with a distinct /v/ sound and a long clear vowel in the first syllable, Americans will understand you when you say it! Dropping the /h/ sound is up to you.

Is the h in Christmas silent?

Silent H words

The letter H is sometimes silent when placed at the beginning of words such as hour, heir, honor, herb, homage, and honest. The letter H is silent in many words where it follows the letter C, such as anchor, archive, chaos, character, Christmas, charisma, chemical, choreography, chorus, choir, and echo.

Does Herb have a silent h?

The British pronunciation is “Herbs” with an “H” while American pronunciation is “erbs” without the “H.” Quite simple, eh? Just like this simple vinaigrette recipe to go with your herb salad. “Herb” or “erb,” it’s really your choice.

Is the h silent in Vehicle?

The H in the word vehicle doesn’t have a strong /h/ sound. Some people may use an /h/ sound, but you really don’t need to. If you say ve➝hicle with a distinct /v/ sound and a long clear vowel in the first syllable, Americans will understand you when you say it! Dropping the /h/ sound is up to you.

How do you correctly pronounce h?

Which letter is silent in ghost?

And the letter ‘h‘ is silent in the word ‘ghost’.

Why is h silent in hour?

According to the OED, the word hour comes from Norman French, where it was spelled houre, but pronounced without the /h/ because /h/s are never pronounced in French. There are a number of other words borrowed from the French where we also don’t pronounce the /h/, e.g. honest and heir.

Is the h in white silent?

There are few rules to identify a word with silent H. Often, words beginning with W. Few examples are why, white, what, when, where.

Is the h in huge silent?

In standard AE, the “h” in huge, human, etc. is always pronounced. Yes, it can sound much like the ich-Laut, or it can be softer, but these words are always aspirated.

Is H silent in Whistle?

For example, the coach uses his whistle to get the players’ attention. This silent h is common in question words and a few other common words in English: why.

Is the H silent in thyme?

The correct pronunciation of thyme is exactly like the word “time”. The “h” in thyme is silent and “i” is pronounced with a long “i”, which means like the word “eye”. The end result is that thyme is pronounced exactly how you would say the word “time”.