Pronounce H

[ginny]

Hi friends, please help me with this.
Why we don't pronounce 'h' in some words like honest, hour... while we do in other words like humorous, hunter...?

[ProfessorVerb]

Hi friends, please help me with this.
Why we don't pronounce 'h' in some words like honest, hour... while we do in other words like humorous, hunter...?

According to "Ask Oxford" at: http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/ ... her/silent

H is often silent in English, for different reasons according to the derivation of the word concerned (Hebrew messiah; Greek rhapsody) or by elision (shepherd, exhaust), and so on. The words you mention [in the original question] are derived from French, and English took over the French pronunciation as well as the word. But in other similar words we have come to pronounce the h over the centuries: horrible, hospital, host, hotel, human, humour. And in yet other cases we have added an h where French has none: hermit, hostage.

[ginny]

Highly appreciate your help! :D

[ginny]

Hi friends, is it similar to K? We don't pronounce K in some cases like 'knife', 'knight'...

Thanks!

[Dixie]

Hi friends, is it similar to K? We don't pronounce K in some cases like 'knife', 'knight'...

Thanks!

In fact, the initial k sound in those words was pronounced many centuries ago. However, that sound was lost in pronunciation but we kept it in writing.

[ginny]

Hi friends, is it similar to K? We don't pronounce K in some cases like 'knife', 'knight'...

Thanks!

In fact, the initial k sound in those words was pronounced many centuries ago. However, that sound was lost in pronunciation but we kept it in writing.

Thank you so much. So is it one case of language variant?

[shokin]

Like in french :

you have to say :

l'homme

but you have to say :

le hameau

I suppose it depends on the etimology.

Shokin