LoginThe Letter H In British English
H is the eighth letter in the English alphabet. It is also a consonant.
Consonants are sounds that are pronounced with restriction in the vocal tract.
Uppercase Form | H |
|---|---|
Lowercase | h |
Name | aitch (pronounced /ˈeɪtʃ/) |
Common Sounds | /h/, /Ø/ |
The Letter H: Sounds
Main Sound
The letter 'h' has two sounds.
Sound 1: /h/
The letter 'h' sounds /h/:
hen /hen/
helicopter /ˈhelɪkɒptə(r)/
horse /hɔːs/
Sound 2: /Ø/
1. 'h' is silent when it precedes the letter 'o', so 'ho' sounds /ˈɑ/ in British English.
honest /ˈɑːnɪst/
honor /ˈɒnə(r)/
heirloom /ˈeəluːm/
2. 'h' is also silent in 'ah':
ah /ɑː/
dahlia /ˈdɑːlɪə/
cheetah /ˈtʃiːtə/
3. 'gh' generally sounds /ɡ/, in other words, 'h' is silent:
ghost /ɡəʊst/
yoghurt /ˈjɒɡət/
dinghy /ˈdɪŋɡi/
This word is also pronounced /ˈdɪŋi/.
4. 'gh' is also silent as in:
through /θruː/
neighbor /ˈneɪbə(r)/
night /naɪt/
5. 'h' in 'rh' sounds /r/. In other words, 'h' is silent:
rhino /ˈraɪnəʊ/
rhyme /raɪm/
rhubarb /ˈruːbɑːb/
The Letter H: Multigraphs
The letter 'h' can be positioned before or after other letters, mainly consonants.
xh
'xh' sounds /gz/:
exhort /ɪɡˈzɔːt/
exhibit /ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/
exhaustive /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪv/
Tip!
'hi' in the word 'vehicle' sounds /iːə/:
vehicle /ˈviːəkl/
ch
'ch' commonly has three sounds:
/tʃ/
/ʃ/
/k/
1. 'c' in combination with 'h' generally represents /tʃ/:
torch /tɔːtʃ/
church /tʃɜːtʃ/
chicken /ˈtʃɪkɪn/
2. It also has the /ʃ/ sound in French loanwords:
machine /məˈʃiːn/
chicane /ʃɪˈkeɪn/
moustache /ˈmʌstæʃ/
3. 'c' combined with 'h' also sounds /k/:
choreography /ˌkɒriˈɒɡrəfi/
choir /ˈkwaɪə(r)/
choli /'kɔːli/
ph
'ph' sounds /f/:
phone /fəʊn/
dolphin /ˈdɒlfɪn/
graph /ɡrɑːf/
sh
'sh' sounds /ʃ/:
ship /ʃɪp/
shark /ʃɑːk/
fish /fɪʃ/
th
'th' commonly has three sounds:
/θ/
/ð/
/t/
1. 'th' sounds /θ/:
mouth /maʊθ/
teeth /tiːθ/
thorn /θɔːn/
2. 'th' can also sound /ð/ if it is followed by the letter 'e':
smoothie /ˈsmuːði/
then /ðen/
brother /ˈbrʌðə(r)/
3. 'th' also sounds /t/:
thyme /taɪm/
Thomas /ˈtɒməs/
Thames /ˈtemz/
wh
'wh' commonly has two sounds:
/w/
/h/
1. 'wh' sounds /w/, note that lips are rounded pronouncing this letter.
wheel /wiːl/
whisker /ˈwɪskə(r)/
white /waɪt/
2. 'wh' sounds /h/, that means 'w' is silent /∅/:
who /huː/
whole /həʊl/
whom /huːm/
gh
'gh' commonly has three sounds:
/ɡ/
/f/
/Ø/
1. 'gh' generally sounds /ɡ/:
ghost /ɡoʊst/
yoghurt /ˈjoʊɡərt/
dinghy /ˈdɪŋɡi/
2. 'gh' after 'u' also sounds /f/:
laugh /lɑːf/
cough /kɔːf/
roughage /ˈrʌfɪdʒ/
3. 'gh' also sound silent /Ø/ when they follow 'ou':
drought /draʊt/
doughnut /ˈdəʊnʌt/
thought /θɔːt/
The Letter H: Uses
The letter 'h' can be:
The abbreviation of hydrogen
The abbreviation of an hour (in prescriptions)
The abbreviation of hours, like 70 h
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