French · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "l'homme (m.)" in French?

Q: How do you pronounce l'homme (m.) in French?

l'homme (m.) is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /lɔm/. It means “man.” lom — one syllable. The "h" is silent, the article is fused on, and the double "mm" is a real consonant.

lom — one syllable. The "h" is silent, the article is fused on, and the double "mm" is a real consonant.

l'homme (m.) /lɔm/

One syllable, article included — that is the point of the elision. The "(m.)" is a gender note telling you the hidden article is "le", which is worth knowing because "l'" hides the gender completely.

Listen: l'homme (m.)

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Sound it out

l' The article "le" with its vowel dropped, because the "h" is mute and French treats the word as beginning with a vowel. It adds no syllable.

h Completely silent. French "h" is never pronounced; the only question is whether it blocks elision, and this one does not.

o A short open "o" as in "cot".

mme A single "m" sound. The doubling keeps the vowel oral rather than nasal, and the silent "e" keeps the "m" audible.

Hear it in a sentence

L'homme au chapeau est mon voisin.

The man in the hat is my neighbor.

Listen: L'homme au chapeau est mon voisin.

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"L'homme au chapeau est mon voisin" uses "au" — the contraction of "à le" — to mean "in the" or "with the", which is the French way of identifying someone by an accessory. "Chapeau" ends in the pure "oh" of "eau": sha-POH. "Voisin" ends in the nasal /ɛ̃/.

Where English speakers slip

Learners aspirate the "h", producing "luh-HOM" with a break. There is no break and no "h" — the whole thing is one syllable. They also nasalize the vowel by analogy with "nom" or "bon", but the doubled "mm" blocks that. And note the plural "les hommes" requires a liaison: /le.z‿ɔm/, which is the only audible sign it is plural.