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    Pronunciation · consonant

    The /h/ sound: h as in hat

    In short

    /h/ is a voiceless glottal fricative, the consonant you hear in hat, behind, who. It is voiceless: only air, no vocal-cord vibration. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.

    How to pronounce /h/

    1. 1Open your mouth in the position of the next vowel.
    2. 2Push out a gentle breath from the throat, like fogging a mirror.
    3. 3Keep it light: no friction or scraping at the back of the mouth.

    Sounds like: a gentle sigh before a vowel

    /h/ in words, with audio

    Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.

    • hathæt · sound is initial
    • behindbɪˈhaɪnd · sound is medial
    • whohuː · sound is initial
    • perhapspəˈhæps · sound is medial
    • wholehəʊl · sound is initial

    The mistake almost everyone makes

    Dropping it ('hair' → 'air', common for French and Italian speakers) or making it harsh like /x/ ('loch', common for Spanish, Russian and Arabic speakers).

    Who struggles with this sound:

    • French speakers: h drops ('hair' → 'air') or appears where it shouldn't ('air' → 'hair')

    Spellings of /h/

    These letter patterns commonly spell /h/: h wh. English spelling is unreliable; trust the IPA, not the letters.

    Words that drill /h/

    Each has a full breakdown, audio in both accents and a recording drill. Practising a sound inside a real word transfers better than practising it alone.

    hyperbolehy-PUR-buh-leehegemonyhih-GEM-uh-neehierarchyHY-uh-rar-keehypothesishy-POTH-uh-sisjalapeñohal-uh-PAY-nyoh

    Browse the whole word bank

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    Frequently asked questions

    How do you pronounce the /h/ sound?
    Open your mouth in the position of the next vowel. Push out a gentle breath from the throat, like fogging a mirror. Keep it light: no friction or scraping at the back of the mouth.
    What is the most common mistake with /h/?
    Dropping it ('hair' → 'air', common for French and Italian speakers) or making it harsh like /x/ ('loch', common for Spanish, Russian and Arabic speakers).
    Which spellings make the /h/ sound?
    Common spellings include “h”, “wh”, as in hat /hæt/, behind /bɪˈhaɪnd/, who /huː/.
    Does /h/ matter for IELTS?
    It matters moderately. Errors are noticeable but only sometimes affect understanding. Fix the high-priority vowel contrasts and final consonants first, then polish this one.

    Next step

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