Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

aspirated h

/ˈæspəɹeɪ̯tɪd eɪ̯tʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.61 in modern English

Syllables
as-pi-rat-ed h
IPA
/ˈæspəɹeɪ̯tɪd eɪ̯tʃ/
16
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
4
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

In the French language, usage of the letter h at the start of a word which does not allow liaison with a preceding consonant or elision of a preceding schwa.

noun

Aspiration of a glottal consonant.

Example Sentences

Etymology

Calque of French h aspiré. The aspirated h was pronounced /h/ until Early Modern French (and still is in some northern dialects), whereas the mute h had long been silent. The designation has been maintained although both kinds of h are now technically silent in standard French, but the aspirated h remains pronounced dialectally and in Norman French.

Synonyms

Germanic h fr:h aspiré

Antonyms

mute h silent h unaspirated h

Questions

How do you pronounce aspirated h?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈæspəɹeɪ̯tɪd eɪ̯tʃ/.
What does aspirated h mean?
In the French language, usage of the letter h at the start of a word which does not allow liaison with a preceding consonant or elision of a preceding schwa.
Where does aspirated h come from?
Calque of French h aspiré. The aspirated h was pronounced /h/ until Early Modern French (and still is in some northern dialects), whereas the mute h had long been silent. The designation has been maintained although both kinds of h are now technically silent in standard French, but the aspirated h remains pronounced dialectally and in Norman French.

How to pronounce aspirated h

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “aspirated h”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈæspəɹeɪ̯tɪd eɪ̯tʃ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “aspirated h”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “aspirated h” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.