L’H Aspiré: The Complete Word List
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Two silent h’s live in French — and only one of them blocks liaison and elision. The h aspiré is an invisible force field: you say le héros (never « l’héros ») and les // haricots (never « lé-z-aricots »). Nothing in the spelling warns you, so French learners memorize the aspirated words. Here are the ~30 you’ll actually meet, grouped and glossed — each with audio.
L’h aspiré
The French words whose h blocks liaison and elision
The everyday nouns
Food & home
Actions & qualities
Borrowed & modern
How to use an h aspiré word
| Rule | Mute h (l’homme) | H aspiré (le héros) |
|---|---|---|
| Article | l’homme, l’hôtel | le héros, la honte |
| Liaison | les‿hommes (lé-z-omme) | les // héros (lé héros) |
| De + noun | d’histoire | de haut en bas |
| Ce/cet | cet hiver | ce héros |
The h aspiré mostly marks words that entered French from Germanic and other non-Latin languages — which is why modern borrowings like le hashtag and le hamburger join the club automatically.
H aspiré — FAQ
How do I know if an h is aspirated?
Dictionaries mark it with an asterisk or apostrophe before the word (*haricot). In practice: memorize this list — it covers nearly every common one.
Is the h aspiré actually pronounced?
No — both h’s are silent in standard French. The aspiré one only behaves like a consonant: it blocks liaison and elision but makes no sound itself.
What happens if I get it wrong?
You’re understood but flagged: « les-z-aricots » is a classic learner tell. The full linking system is in our liaison lesson, and the silent-letters logic in French silent letters.
Test yourself
Match each French word on this page to its meaning — 6 pairs per round.
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🎬 The 20-second version
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