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/
- 1Open your mouth in the position of the next vowel.
- 2Push out a gentle breath from the throat — like fogging a mirror.
- 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.
- hat/hæt/ · sound is initial
- behind/bɪˈhaɪnd/ · sound is medial
- who/huː/ · sound is initial
- perhaps/pəˈhæps/ · sound is medial
- whole/həʊl/ · 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.
Keep exploring
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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