exh-In the more common of the words beginning with these letters, such as exhaust, exhibit, the h is usually silent; many persons, however, sound it (esp. in deliberate or public utterance) when the word has the stress on the second syllable. To avoid inconvenient repetition the more frequent of the two alternative pronunciations will alone be indicated. In words of little colloquial currency the h is ordinarily sounded when it begins a stressed syllable.