English spellings/Catalogs/H
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| Common misspellings |
This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with H. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.
For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.[e]
H = âitch
hà
Hàarlem Netherlands = Hàrlem New York
ha hà laughter
hà-hà fence
hâbeas cŏrpus *hâbius
hábit rhymes with rábbit
Hábsburg Háps-
hácek *hátchek
háckneyed *hácknid
hádrón; some say hâdrón
haemátocrit, hemátocrit
haemoglôbin - haê-
haemophília - haê-
haémorrhage *hémmoridge, *hémerage
haémorrhoid -rŏid
haemostâsis
Hâgue = Hâig = Hâigh, cf. The Hâgue Netherlands, capital T
hàh
haîku
hâil stones, greeting = hâle hearty
hãir head = hãre animal
hãircút one word
hãirdo *hãirdu
Hâiti rhymes with Kâty and èighty, *Hâtey, cf. hâte, Tahìti
Hâitian -shən
Hàjj or Hájj
Hâley Bill = Hâyley Mills = Hâiley
hālf *hàf; AmE *háf
hâlfpenny *hâypəny
hálibut
håll building = håul pull, rob, cf. Hál person
hallelûjah - j as y: *hallelûya
Hálley Edmund
hállôw, cf. hallô
Hallowêen: Há-, AmE also Hà-; sometimes with a pedantic silent apostrophe -ê'en to indicate the missing v of -êven evening
hålt
hālve half AmE ≈ háve own, though hálve tends to be longer
Hamàs AmE; BrE Hamás
hámlet -lít, cf. hám ómelette
hámper hinder, basket
hámster *hámpster, cf. hámper, Hámpstead
Hamtrámck, Michigan, has an invisible i: *Hám-trámíck
hándbag can sound like *hámbag
hándedness *hándidnis
hándful
hándkerchìêf *hánkerchêef
hándle touch, door = Hándel, Hándl
hándout noun one word
hándôver noun one word
hándshâke noun one word
hándwrítten one word
hángar plane = hánger clothes
hángover noun one word
hánky, short for hándkerchìêf, both hánk-
hánky-pánky
Hánna family name = Hánnah personal name
Hanŏi
*hânous hèinous
Hánover has one n in English, two in German
hánsom cab ≈ hándsome good-looking
harakíri or hara-kíri
harángue *haráng
Haràrê
haráss AmE; BrE *hárras, cf. Hárrís person
hàrbinger -jer
hàrem or hãrem
hãre animal = hãir fur
hãre-brâined
hàrk cf. heàrken
hàrpsichord -kŏrd
Harrôvian
hárrow = Hárrow
hàrt stag = Hàrt = heàrt beat
Hàrtlepool *Hàrtlípoôl
hássle cf. hústle, *hússle
hâsten *hâyssən
hâte love = Hâight Ashbury
hâtred -íd cf. pûtríd
håul take = håll way
hautëur *ôat-ër
Havána
Hávant = háven't
have weak form = of weak form: *əv, hence some mistakenly write "I should of gone" for Î shoùld have góne = Î shoùld've góne
háve in British English can sound like *háff when emphasized before an unvoiced consonant: I *háff to sêe hím
hâven cf. héaven
háve-nóts haves
Haverfordwést *Hávverford Wést
Hawaîì *Həwîêe
Håwes
håwk bird = Håwke
håwthorn plant = Håwthorne
hây farm = Hây = Hâye = hèy exclamation, cf. hèydây
Haŷdn cf. Hâydon = Hâyden
hâ’p’orth *hâypərth (contraction of hâlfpennyworth *hâpnywərth)
héad cf. hêed
héalth
héalthcãre adjective one word; noun can be one or two
hêap = Hêep Uriah
hêar, hêar! agree
hëard hear = hërd animals = Hürd person, cf. hàrd firm
heàrken cf. hàrk
hêarsay
hëarse
heàrt beat = hàrt deer = Hàrt person
heàrtfélt one word
heàrth
heàrtthrob *heàrt thrób - accidental tt
hêath
hêathen -dhən
héather rhymes with wéather -dh-
hêatwave one word
hêave
héaven, cf. hâven, hêathen
héavy
héavywèight boxing *hévviwait, one word, cf. héavy wèight literal
héctãre
héctor = Héctor
hêed cf. héad
hêe hêe laugh cf. hê him
hêel foot = hêal cure
hegemony BrE *higémony (hard or soft g), AmE *héjəmôny (soft g) or *həgémony
Heîdelberg
Heîdi
héifer cow = Héffer person
heîght *hîte cf. hîgh = hî
heîghten high = Huŷton England
hèinous or hêinous
Heînz *Hŷnts (in the 1950s, with memories of the Second World War still fresh, the company of this name pronounced itself Hînes *Hŷnze)
héir heiress = ãir breathe
heîst
hélicopter cf. hêlium
héllhole one word
hellô (or hallô or hullô, but these are now much less common)
Helmánd, Hélmand
hém
hémidemisémiquaver
hémisphêre
Héndricks = Héndriks = Héndrix
hërb, hërbal, hërbicide: h silent in AmE
Hërb Herbert = BrE hërb plant
hërd animals = hëard hear = Hürd person, cf. hàrd soft
hêre there = hêar sound
hêre, hêre! expressing agreement should be hêar, hêar!
*hêresay hêarsay
Héreford
héretic
herétical
Hermîonê
Hërne Bây cf. Hëarne
hêro
Heródotus
hêroes
hérôín drug = hérôíne hero *hérrowín, cf. méscalíne, hárrowing
héron
hërpês
Hertfordshire Hàrt-
Herzegóvina, Herzegovìna, Hérts-
heterogêneous rhymes with gênius
heteroséxual cf. métro, rétro
heurístic
heŵ wood = hûe colour, cry = Hûgh = Hûw
hèydây one word, cf. hây
he's he is = hís belonging to him *híz, or hê’s *hêez
hîâtus *hîgh-èight-us
híccúp can be spelt, but not pronounced híccoúgh, cf. cóugh *cóff
hídden
hídeous *hídìəss
hîdeòut
hîeràrchy *hîeràrky
hieroglýphics - hî-
Hierónymus *Híər-ónimus rhymes with anónymous
hîgh height = hî hello
hîgh jínks fun *hyjínx, cf. jínx curse
hîghbròw one word, *hîbròw
hilãrious
Hílary usual = Híllary Edmund, Clinton
Híllsborough *Hílzbrə
hînd
hínder
híndrance -drənss
híp hóp, first stressed
Hippócratês, hippocrátic cf. hypocrítical
hîre rent ≈ hîgher high
Hiróshima: some stress the second i, though words ending in -shima and -shita have this i silent in Japanese
hís he *hízz, cf. híss snake, hê’s or he’s
históric
hítchhîke one word, first and third hs aspirated
Hîte person = heîght high
hŏar frost = whŏre prostitute = Hŏare = Hŏre person
hŏard store = hŏrde gang
hŏarse voice = hŏrse animal
hôax
hóbnâil one word
Hôbôken
hóbnób one word
hóck as in ín hóck, cf. ád hóc
hôe garden cf. hô hô laughter
hŏick
hŏi pollŏi
hǒist
Hôlborn rhymes with Wôburn
hôld hand = hôled golf; hôled up trapped = hôld up attack, delay
hôle gap = whôle complete
hóliday vacation = Hólliday person = Hóliday Billie
hólly cf. hôly
Hóllywoòd cf. Hóly-
Hôlmes person = hômes living; or Hólmes, with l pronounced or hinted at
hólocaust
hôly sacred ≈ whôlly completely, which has the two l’s pronounced
Hólyhéad
Hólyroôd
hómage: unlike French, only one m; the h is traditionally pronounced in English: a hómage *ə hómij
hôme (but Home Alec = Hûme David)
hômelánd
homêopáthic AmE; BrE homoêo-
homêópathy AmE; BrE homoêó-
Hômer
Hómerton
hômewörk one word
hómicide
homógeneous -jenəss or homogêneous rhyming with gênius
hómoným
hômo sápiens
homoséxual
Hóng Kóng *Honkóng
hône
hónest *ónnist
Honolûlu
hónor AmE, BrE hónour *ónner
honoràrium ón-
hónorary ón-
honorífic ón-
hónour BrE, AmE hónor *ónner
hónourable ón- BrE, AmE hónorable, cf. hónorary
hoòd
hoôdlum
hoòdwink
hoòk
hoòkah pipe *hùkə = BrE hoòker prostitute, rugby
hoorây cf. hurràh
Hoôsier AmE *Hûzhr
hoôver carpet is from Hoôver person
hôping hope cf. hópping hop
Hórace rhymes with Bóris, Dóris, Nórris and Mórris
hŏrde gang = hŏard store
hŏrn = Hŏrn = Hŏrne
horrífic
hórror BrE; AmE = whŏre
hŏrs d’oëuvre *ŏr-dërvrə
hŏrse animal = hŏarse croak
hóspice -íss
hóspital
hóspitalised
hôst
hóstage
hóthead as if two words
hóthòuse as if two words
hóugh leg = hóck pawn
hòur time = òur us
hòuse noun -ss; verb = hòw's how is, -z
hòusekeeper, hòusekeeping each one word
hòuses -zíz
Hòusman *Hòuseman -ss-
Hoûston AmE *Hyûston, BrE *Hoôston
Hoûthi *Hoôty
hòw = Hòwe
Hòwarth = Hàworth
Hòwell ≈ hòwl
howéver one word
hòwl wolf cf. òwl bird
Htín Kyåw *Dín Jåw
hû- = heŵ *hyoô
hûbris
hûe colour = Hûw = Hûgh persons = hêw cut *hyoô
hûe and crŷ
húff = Hoúgh
hûge *hyoôj, some American *yoôj
Hûghes person = heŵs hew *Hyoôz
Hûguenot *Hyoôgənô
hullabaloô
hûman hyoôm-
humanitãrian hyoômán-
humánity hyoôm-
húmble
húmbling
húmbug
humíliate hyoôm-
humílity hyoôm-
hûmor AmE; BrE hûmour hyoôm-
hûmorist; BrE also has hûmourist hyoôm-
hûmorous; BrE also has hûmourous = hûmerus bone hyoôm-
húnchback one word
húndred
Húngary country (three syllables, with schwa) ≈ húngry (two, no schwa); in both, hard g sounded
hunger: two syllables, hard g sounded
Húngerford: no hard g sound, ng only
hurràh cf. hoorây
húrricane BrE -kən
Hürst = Hïrst Damien
húsky dog, voice, plural húskies
hussàr *hù-zàr
hústle *hússle, cf. hássle
Huŷton *Hŷton = heîghten
Hŷderabád
hydråulic may sound like *hŷ-drólic
hygge *hùgə
hŷgiene
hygiênic BrE; AmE hygiénic (both ŷ)
hyêna or hyaêna
hýmn church = hím he
hŷpe is short for hypërbolê
hŷper- very
hypërbolê hŷp-
hypercrítical critical
hypócrisy hýp-, cf. hýpocríte, demócracy, Hippócratês, hippocrátic
hypocrítical hypocrite
hystêria rhymes with wistêria (-íst-); some AmE: hystéria
hystérical
Hyúndé