H Sound

h:(he, behind, who)

English Pronunciation, Lesson 23

The H sound (IPA symbol: h) can be found in English words such as he, her, hello, here, behind, and who. It is an unvoiced consonant sound. What does that mean? Read on for an explanation.

Click Here for Step-by-Step Rules, Stories and Exercises to Practice All English Tenses

How to pronounce the H sound

H is a consonant sound. A consonant is any letter in the alphabet that is not a vowel (vowels = a, e, i, o, u).


The H sound is a voiceless or unvoiced sound. This means that your vocal chords do not vibrate when you make this sound. Instead, you use a puff of air to produce the sound. The H sound is the same in British and American English.

Here are some other voiceless consonant sounds in English:

• p sound (Lesson 18)
  
  
• f sound (Lesson 20)
  
  
• t sound (top)
  
  
• k sound (kitten)
  
  
• s sound (Sunday)
  
  
• tʃ sound (China)
  
  
• θ sound (south)
  
  
• ʃ sound (Russia)

We will learn about all of these sounds in later pronunciation lessons.


The H sound makes little sound. It is a very quiet sound. It is made by passing air through your mouth. A common error of English students is to overproduce this sound.

To make the sound, lightly constrict your throat and breath out through your mouth. When done correctly, your vocal chords will not vibrate. The shape of your lips will depend on the spelling of the word.

Tip: Use a piece of paper to practice the voiceless H sound. When you say this sound, you should release a puff of air from your mouth that moves the paper. Your vocal cords should not vibrate.

Watch this video from Rachel's English to see how the H sound is produced:

Spellings

The H sound is usually spelled with only the letter H: how, behind, he.

Sometimes, the H sound is spelled with the letters WH: who, whom, whole.

In English, the H sound will never be at the very end of a word. The H sound only appears at the beginning of syllables.

Let's practice

Remember, this is an unvoiced sound. Your vocal chords should not vibrate when you make this sound.

Try holding a piece of paper in front of your mouth when you practice these words. Your breath should lightly move the paper when you make the H sound.

H sound at the beginning of a word:

1) he

2) how

3) her

4) home

5) help

6) here

7) hear

8) holiday

9) happy

10) hand

11) hug

12) hurry

13) his

14) heavy

15) hello

16) handsome

17) whose

18) whole

19) whom

20) who


H sound in the middle of a word:

1) behind

2) Ohio

3) doghouse

4) birdhouse

5) downhill

6) reheat

7) beehive

8) behave

9) inhale

10) uphill


Now say these sentences out loud (the H sounds are bold):

1) How are you?

2) He is here.

3) Who has red hair?

4) Hurry uphill to the house.

5) He is a happy, handsome man.

7) Reheat the whole hamburger, so it is hot for her.

8) Whose home is high on the hill?

9) Here is her doghouse. It is heavy.

10) Help! Can you hear him?




Your teacher is happy! You have completed this lesson!

Remember, the H sound is a voiceless sound. Continue to practice this sound to make sure you are doing it correctly. 

Let's move on...

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