The New Student's Reference Work/H

H (aitch), the eighth letter, is a quasi consonant formed in the same place as the vowel following. It is best known as the rough breathing, and differs in many respects from other breath-sounds. Abruptness is what most distinguishes it. It is silent in a few words, as hour, and is often dropped by uneducated English people. It is used with some consonants to form digraphs not in the alphabet, as sh or th. With others, as c or p, it is used to modify their sounds, as in charm or phantom. In some words h after c or g causes them to remain hard before e, i or y, as in chemistry, Ghibelline, chyle. Its form is that of the Greek eta.