hache
/at͡ʃe/from spelling rules
The Spanish word for the English letter h is hache.
hache is used to name the eighth letter of the English alphabet.
How do you pronounce it?
/atʃe/
Did you know?
- Because it makes no sound, Spanish speakers often refer to the letter as la muda, which translates to 'the mute one'. This personification is a common way to teach its silence in schools.
- Many Spanish words starting with hache used to start with an 'f' in Latin, such as hormiga from 'formica'.
- In Spanish, the combination of ch is historically treated as a single letter called the che, separate from the hache.
Examples in context
- Esa palabra empieza con hache.That word starts with h.
Example conversation
Elena and Daniel are practicing spelling English words in Spanish.
- ElenaDaniel, ¿cómo se escribe la h en español?Daniel, how do you write the h in Spanish?
- DanielSe escribe hache.It is written hache.
- ElenaGracias, ¿la hache es muda?Thanks, is the h silent?
- DanielSí, la hache no tiene sonido.Yes, the h has no sound.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
