French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "l'heure (f.)" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce l'heure (f.) in French?

l'heure (f.) is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /lœʁ/. It means “hour / time (on the clock).” lur — one syllable. The "h" is silent, the article is fused on, and the vowel is the rounded /œ/ of "neuf".

lur — one syllable. The "h" is silent, the article is fused on, and the vowel is the rounded /œ/ of "neuf".

l'heure (f.) /lœʁ/

One syllable, article included. That is the whole point of elision — "l'heure" is a single beat, not "luh-ur". The plural "les heures" links with a "z": /le.z‿œʁ/.

Listen: l'heure (f.)

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Sound it out

l' The article "la" with its vowel dropped, because "heure" begins with a mute "h" — which French treats as no consonant at all. The "l" simply attaches to the front and adds no syllable.

h Completely silent, as every French "h" is. It exists only in the spelling, inherited from Latin "hora".

eu The open rounded vowel /œ/, as in "neuf" and "jeune". Lips rounded, tongue mid-front.

re A final uvular "r" kept audible by the silent "e".

Hear it in a sentence

Quelle heure est-il ?

What time is it?

Listen: Quelle heure est-il ?

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"Quelle heure est-il ?" carries a compulsory liaison: "quelle heure" is /kɛ.l‿œʁ/, with the "l" of "quelle" bridging straight into the vowel. Then "est-il" links its silent "t": /ɛ.t‿il/. So a four-word question contains two liaisons and comes out as one smooth stream: keh-LUR-eh-TEEL.

Where English speakers slip

The silent "h" is the first hurdle — learners aspirate it, producing "luh-HUR" with a break in the middle. There is no break; the article and the noun are one syllable. The vowel is the second problem: it needs rounding, not the flat English "er" of "her". And the final "r" belongs at the back of the throat, not curled with the tongue tip.