An Herb or a Herb Depends on Which Side of the Atlantic
Herbal relates to herbs. The H is sounded in Britain and silent in America, and both follow the word's history.
Herbal means relating to herbs, and it exposes one of the sharpest transatlantic differences in pronunciation. The word came from French, where the H was silent, and English wrote it *erbe* for centuries. Britain restored the H sound in the nineteenth century under the influence of the spelling; America kept the older silent version. Both are historically defensible.
- Relating to herbs. *Herbal tea.*
- A book about plants. *A sixteenth-century herbal.*
- Herbal remedy — a plant-based treatment. *An herbal remedy.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | herbal | Herbal medicine. |
| Noun | herbal | An illustrated herbal. |
| Noun | herb | A garden herb. |
| Adjective | herbaceous | A herbaceous border. |
| Related | herbivore | A grazing herbivore. |
How it is used in a sentence
- An herb in America, a herb in Britain.The article follows the sound.
- A herbaceous border is planted with perennials.Gardening.
- Herbals were the first printed plant books.Botany and medicine combined.
Words with contested H
- herb — silent in America, sounded in Britain
- hotel — an hotel is now old-fashioned in both
- historic — an historic is heard but a historic is standard
- honest, hour, honour — silent H everywhere
- humble — once often an 'umble, as Dickens wrote it
From Old French *erbe*, from Latin *herba*, grass or herb. English restored the H in spelling in the fifteenth century, and Britain later in speech.
An herb or a herb?
An herb in America, where the H is silent. A herb in Britain, where it is sounded. The article follows the pronunciation.
Which is older?
The silent H, which came from French. British speakers restored the sound under the influence of the written form.