Phrasebook
How to pronounce huit: eight, eight books and eight o’clock
Practise huit /ɥit/, huit livres /ɥi livʁ/ and huit heures /ɥit œʁ/ in short exchanges. See when final t stays, drops or names a number.
- A2
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In short
Say huit /ɥit/ on its own. In an ordinary quantity phrase, drop final /t/ before a consonant: huit livres /ɥi livʁ/. Keep /t/ before a vowel: huit heures /ɥit œʁ/.
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| Use | Phrase | Pronunciation of huit |
|---|---|---|
| An answer on its own | Il en reste huit. | /ɥit/ |
| Counting a consonant-initial noun | huit chaises | /ɥi/ |
| Counting a vowel-initial noun | huit assiettes | /ɥit/ |
| Giving a time | huit heures | /ɥit/ |
| Naming the numeral | le numéro huit | /ɥit/ |
Count the chairs
Before chaises, the ordinary counting form is /ɥi/. At the end of the answer, huit is /ɥit/.
Arrange a time
Keep /t/ in huit heures. Heure has h muet, so it begins with a vowel sound.
Count the plates
Assiettes begins with a vowel; keep /t/ in huit assiettes. The /ɥ/ at the start of huit stays the same.
Change the noun after huit
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When is the t in huit pronounced?
In les huit livres, there is no linking /z/ after les, and the final t of huit is silent before livres. In huit heures, /t/ connects to heures. A restriction before huit therefore tells you nothing about its ending.
Keep the first sound /ɥ/ brief and rounded, leading into /i/ in one syllable. It differs from /w/ in oui. For compound numbers, learn the complete expression: dix-huit /dizɥit/ and vingt-huit /vɛ̃tɥit/. Those internal links belong to the compound.
C’est le numéro huit.
It’s number eight.
Here huit names a number rather than counting a following noun. Keep /t/.