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In a recent conversation with a group of English learners, we had a very funny discussion about when and when NOT to pronounce the H in certain English words.
Today, we'll take a quick tour of our fun little friend, the letter H.
With a single, silent “h” there are usually no patterns or rules to follow that can help you to know whether it’s silent or not. The best strategy is to build your vocabulary with a special focus on words that use the letter H - especially the words that begin with H. In this way, you will learn when and when not to pronounce the H.
A Few Key Items to Remember
1: A silent “h” can be found at the beginning (hour, heir, honor*), middle (ghost, aghast), or end (stomach) of words.
2: An “h” can be silent on its own, or as part of a consonant digraph (a combination of letters that produce one single sound: “ch”, “gh”, “ph”, “th,” “sh”, and “wh”). Examples in which the H is silent in a consonant digraph are: spaghetti, ghetto, whale, white,
OVER TO YOU
Task 1: Say these silent H words aloud and then write sentences with them below: echo, honest, psychic, and while.
Task 2: Write four words with a silent H. The silent H can be at the beginning of the word, middle or end. Then, with your four words, put them into sentences.
*NOTE: To keep you on your toes, remember that some anglophone countries actually DO pronounce the H in words sometimes considered to have a silent H. It depends on the country. For example; Jamaica, The UK, and India are a few places in which the H in Honor or Honest is pronounced.
Do you know of any other words where the H is sometimes pronounced and sometimes not?
Curiously yours,
Iya, OLS Community Manager - English