Thread: Silent "H" at the beginning of a word

The "H" at the beginning of a word is almost always pronounced, but there are just a few exceptions:

- Hour
- Heir
- Honor
- Honest

And derived words as well, such as hourly, heiress, honesty, etc.

Can you think of any other exceptions to this rule?

Originally Posted by jacosta

- Hybrid....

The H is not silent in hybrid. XD

Another exception, but not at the beginning is "vehicule".

What's a "vehicule" by the way?

Sorry. I meant "vehicle"

I believe there's a variety of English in which the Hs at the beginning of the word are silent most of the time. Say, for the word "home," instead of saying /həʊm/, it is said /əʊm/ But I really don't know which one it is.

Could you be thinking of Cockney English? As in "Well, ´ello, there. ´Ow´s about you come to my ´ouse?"

While we´re on the subject, cockney rhyming slang is also fascinating. Very difficult to follow. They take a word that rhymes, and then pick a synonym or related word to separate it by another degree. "Head" rhymes with "bread," which becomes "loaf." So your head is your loaf!

Originally Posted by Will_S

Could you be thinking of Cockney English? As in "Well, ´ello, there. ´Ow´s about you come to my ´ouse?"

While we´re on the subject, cockney rhyming slang is also fascinating. Very difficult to follow. They take a word that rhymes, and then pick a synonym or related word to separate it by another degree. "Head" rhymes with "bread," which becomes "loaf." So your head is your loaf!

Whaaaat? Guess you need to be a cockney not to feel lost O.O