The rule
Vowel length again, and here it costs money. Miete (rent) and Mitte (middle) differ only in how long the i is — and the spelling tells you: ie or a following h means long, a double consonant means short.
Long or short
| Miete · wohnen · Uhr | long |
|---|---|
| Mitte · Zimmer · Treppe | short |
| h after a vowel | silent — it only stretches the vowel |
The h in wohnen, nehmen and Uhr is not pronounced at all. Saying it is one of the clearest signs of an English speaker reading German aloud.