19. [h]

/h/ as in HAT /hæt/ and BEHIND /bɪˈhaɪnd/

PRONOUNCING /h/

TONGUE: glides into position for whichever vowel follows /h/.

AIRSTREAM: is continuous.

VOCAL CORDS: are not vibrating.

The sound /h/ is similar to the sound of the Spanish letters g before e or i (as in gente or girar) and j (jota) in several dialects of American Spanish. The use of /h/ is most evident in the Spanish of Central America, the Caribbean, Colombia, and Venezuela.

SPANISH KEY WORDS WITH /h/

Spanish words with this sound are spelled with j, g, and sometimes x. 

KEY WORDS: jugar    mujer    gente    México

POSSIBLE PRONUNCIATION PROBLEMS FOR 

THE SPANISH SPEAKER

The Spanish letter h is silent. As a result, Spanish speakers may omit it in English.

EXAMPLES: 

If you leave out /h/:

hat /hæt/ will sound like at /æt/  

hand /hænd/ will sound like and /ænd/  

Since /h/ might not exist in your dialect of Spanish, you might pronounce it with the harsh forceful quality that some Spanish speakers normally use when saying g or j.

This is a very easy sound to produce. Relax your throat and tongue; GENTLY let out a puff of air as if you were sighing! Work HARD and you’ll be HAPPY with /h/!

EXERCISE A

The following words should be pronounced with /h/. 

Pronounce them carefully. Remember, let out a GENTLE puff of air as you say /h/.

/hAt the Beginning      

he /hi/

here /hɪr/

home /hoʊm/

how /haʊ/

heat /hit/

hello /ˈhɛloʊ/

who /hu/

have /hæv/

heart /hɑrt/

/hIn the Middle

ahead /əˈhɛd/

behind /bɪˈhaɪnd/

behave /bɪˈheɪv/

inhale /ɪnˈheɪl/

anyhow /ˈɛniˌhaʊ/

unhappy /ʌnˈhæpi/

perhaps /pɚˈhæps/

inherit /ɪnˈhɛrɪt/

rehearse /rɪˈhɚs/

A less frequent spelling pattern for /h/ is wh

 EXAMPLES:

wh

/hu/  

whom 

/hum/  

whose 

/huz/  

whole /hoʊl/   

HINTS:

1. The letter h is silent when it follows g, k, or r at the beginning of words.

EXAMPLES: 

ghost 

/ɡoʊst/  

khaki 

/ˈkæki/  

rhubarb 

/ˈrubɑrb/  

2. The letter h is always silent in the words honest 

/ˈɑnɪst/, heir /ɛr/, honor /ˈɑnɚ/and hour /aʊɚ/.

hi /haɪ/


/

/

EXERCISE C
Pronounce the following phrases and sentences aloud. The boldface words should be pronounced with /h/.

Hurry up!

ˈhɚi  ʌp!

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