Using the intermediate H

Undoubtedly one of the most controversial letters in the Spanish language is the H. This peculiar letter is characterized by being mute, that is, it's not pronounced (Except when it is combined with the letter "c" forming the digraph "ch"). Its etymological value poses quite a few drawbacks, and it is precisely for this reason that we can find ourselves defenders of its maintenance within the Spanish spelling against detractors who promote its elimination definitive. Let's see it with an example: words like talk, beautiful or child, they come from Latin terms with initial efe: Fabulare, fermosus Y filius respectively. With the passage from Latin to Spanish, this initial effect was progressively lost, going first to aspire (hence the use etymological of the letter "h" to indicate such aspiration) to later disappear completely at the phonetic level, leaving only the spelling H.

Throughout this article by a TEACHER we are going to explain the different uses of the H in the initial position and also the using the intermediate H with examples.

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There are different rules for using H, since it is a letter that has a series of rules to be able to be used correctly. It is a silent letter in Spanish, that is, it is not pronounced, but the spelling does have to appear so that it complies with the spelling rules of the language.

But What is the rule of the intermediate H? This typeface is even weirder and, therefore, many people have doubts at the time of writing it. However, here we are going to tell you the general rule What about the intermediate H so that you can clear your doubts when using it.

The Intermediate H should be used when there are words that have 2 or 3 vowels in a row, the same or different. In cases where there is an initial / u / that forms a diphthong, H.

Although it may seem difficult to understand, here are some examples of words with intermediate H so that you can understand their use well:

• Ahuyentar
• Vheyass
• Prohibition

The cases in which the interspersed H must be written are learned by reading and writing a lot. To help you, below we show you some contexts in which this letter is necessary, so that you know well the using the intermediate H with examples:

• The word has three vowels in a row, of which the second vowel together with the third forms a diphthong ("ua", "ue", "ui"). The intermediate H must be written after the first vowel and preceding the second: ahollow, pimp, Aldehuela, drive away, peanut, boneless, marijuana, stretcher, shun, vihuela.
• Within the same word there are two contiguous syllables: the first of them is a locked syllable (or closed), that is, it ends in a consonant, and the second syllable begins with a vowel, as in the following examples: Adhere, longing, exhausted, display, exhort, inhale, inherent, inhibit. It is important to note that, if the first of the syllables is a prefix and the word to which this prefix is ​​added does not contain "h", this rule is not fulfilled and, therefore, the H does not appear intermediate: Unfinished.
• Words formed from words beginning with "h": Now, untimely, Y Congratulations are terms derived from the word "time", just like prehistoric comes from the term "history" or unoccupied from the verb "inhabit".
• The interleaved H also appears to separate two vowels within the same word: , Pillow, bohemian, attic, rocket, self-conscious, eviction, prohibit, string, steam, vehicle, carrot.
• This letter is also found between two equal vowels to separate them within words like basil, alcohol, orange blossom, pasture, mold, hostage, vehement.