is there a way to know when an "h" is "muet" or " aspiré" - without having to memorize all of them?

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Mme

-> Silent Letters -> H aspiré / muet

There are two different kinds of H's in French, and neither one is pronounced.
The H muet is silent - the word acts exactly as if it began with a vowel. This means that contractions and liaisons are done as if the H were not there: l'homme, les hommes = [lay zuhm].
The other H is called H aspiré, but don't let the word aspiré fool you. The H aspiré is just as silent as the H muet; however, you cannot make a contraction or liaison in front of it: le homard, les homards = [lay uhmar]. H's in words borrowed from other languages are usually H aspirés.
The following words and their derivatives begin with an H aspiré. As always, please note that there are exceptions and that the English equivalents given here are only guide. When in doubt, consult a good French dictionary. There will be an asterisk or some other symbol to distinguish between the two kinds of H's. la hache axe haut high
hacher to chop le havre haven
le hachisch hashish la Haye The Hague
la haie hedge le heaume helmet
le haillon rag héler to hail (a taxi)
la haine hatred hennir to neigh
haïr to hate le hérisson hedgehog
le hâle suntan la hernie hernia
haleter to pant le héron heron
le hall hall le héros hero
la halle market le hêtre beech tree
le halo halo heurter to strike
la halte break le hibou owl
le hamac hammock hideux hideous
le hameau hamlet la hiérarchie hierarchy
la hampe pole hisser to hoist
le hamster hamster hocher to nod
la hanche hip le hockey hockey
le hand-ball handball la Hollande Holland
le handicap handicap le homard lobster
le hangar shed Hong-Kong Hong Kong
hanter to haunt la Hongrie Hungary
harasser to exhaust la honte shame
harceler to harass le hoquet hiccup
hardi daring hors outside
le hareng herring la houille coal
le haricot bean le huguenot Huguenot
la harpe harp huit eight
le hasard luck hurler to shriek
la hâte haste la hutte hut
hâter to hasten