Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mute h

/mjuːt eɪtʃ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.64 in modern English

Syllables: mute h
IPA: /mjuːt eɪtʃ/

10

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

In the French language usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant.

noun

Non-aspiration of a glottal consonant.

Example Sentences

"The French word homme ("man") begins with a mute h. Consequently we can say l'homme /l‿ɔm/ and les hommes /le‿zɔm/, but never /lə ɔm/ and /le ɔm/, like we do with the aspirated h."
"Whether the h be a mute h or an aspirate h, it may be regarded in either case as absolutely silent."
"In French initial h’s are called either mute h’s (the greatest number) or aspirate h’s (fewer in number, but frequent nonetheless)."
"The only difference between the two is that a mute h allows contractions and liaisons in front of it, and an aspirated h does not."

Etymology

Calque of French h muet.

Inflected Forms

mute h's (plural)

Synonyms

silent h unaspirated h h-dropping

Antonyms

aspirated h Germanic h

Questions

How do you pronounce mute h?: The recorded pronunciation is /mjuːt eɪtʃ/.
What does mute h mean?: In the French language usage of the letter h at the start of a word which allows liaison with a preceding consonant.
Where does mute h come from?: Calque of French h muet.

How to pronounce mute h

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