Lips
Keep your mouth open and relaxed, already shaped for the vowel that follows.
Other consonants
/h/as in hat
Voiceless. A gentle breath out before a vowel.
Example words: hat, ahead, who, house, behind
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /h/ sound?
Tongue
Keep your tongue low and out of the way. The whole vocal tract stays open. /h/ is made deep in the throat, just by breathing out.
Video lesson
Try it
- Open your mouth in the shape of the next vowel.
- Breathe out gently, as if fogging a mirror.
- Keep it soft. No scraping, no voice, just warm air.
- Glide straight into the vowel: hat, ahead, who.
Check
Hold your palm in front of your mouth and say "hat" then "at". You should feel a puff of warm air on "hat" and none on "at". Both words must sound clearly different.
Common trap
Two traps. Do not scrape or rasp the throat: /h/ is a soft breath, not friction. And do not drop it: "hat" and "at" must sound different. If they sound the same, your /h/ is missing.
Practice: /h/
Words
hathˈæt
aheadəhˈɛd
whohˌu
househˈaʊs
behindbəhˈaɪnd
Sentences
He put his hat behind the house.hˌi pˌʊt hɪz hˈæt bəhˈaɪnd ðə hˈaʊs.
Who is hiding behind the hill?hˌu ɪz hˈaɪdɪŋ bəhˈaɪnd ðə hˈɪl?
Her husband is happy at home.hˌɜɹ hˈʌzbənd ɪz hˈæpi æt hˈoʊm.
How can I help him today?hˌaʊ kæn ˌaɪ hˈɛlp hˌɪm tədˈeɪ?
Go ahead, the hotel is here.ɡˌoʊ əhˈɛd, ðə hoʊtˈɛl ɪz hˈɪɹ.
Words
hathˈat
aheadəhˈɛd
whohˌuː
househˈaʊs
behindbɪhˈaɪnd
Sentences
He put his hat behind the house.hˌiː pˌʊt hɪz hˈat bɪhˈaɪnd ðə hˈaʊs.
Who is hiding behind the hill?hˌuː ɪz hˈaɪdɪŋ bɪhˈaɪnd ðə hˈɪl?
Her husband is happy at home.hˌɜː hˈʌzbənd ɪz hˈapi at hˈəʊm.
How can I help him today?hˌaʊ kan ˌaɪ hˈɛlp hˌɪm tədˈeɪ?
Go ahead, the hotel is here.ɡˌəʊ əhˈɛd, ðə hˌəʊtˈɛl ɪz hˈɪə.
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Sounds in the same group
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