English Phonics Sounds for Letter H /h/

The English letter sounds can be categorized in to 2 types - voiced and unvoiced sounds. The voiced type are sound which are made by vibrations in your vocal cords, while the unvoiced type is made without the vibration of the vocal cords. Typically, the voiceless letter sounds in English are made by a huff or a puff of air passing through the mouth. See video below:

The letter H has a voiceless sound.

Other letters such as "F" and "S" are also unvoiced. Here, we will teach the letter "H" and its unvoiced /h/ sound using activities and worksheets.

The /h/ sound is made simply by passing air through the opening of your mouth. Pay attention to note that the vocal cords do not make this sound.

You will sometimes see the /h/ sound spelled as "HUH", but if you try to say /huh/ you will end up making a voiced sound, and that is not the proper H sound. While you may see it sometimes written as /huh/, do not say it or voice it. Take a look at these H words to get an idea:

HAM - /h/ /a/ /m/

HOP - /h/ /o/ /p/

HORN - /h/ /or/ /n/

Learning Activity for /h/

• Prepare a printout on a piece of paper or blank business cards for the letter H and the follow words:
  • Him
  • Her
  • Hop
  • Hip
  • Happy

1. Show the letter H to your child and demonstrate how to make the proper unvoiced /h/ sound. Remember, do not say /huh/, but /h/. You don't want your words to sound like "Huher" (her).
2. Have your child repeat the /h/ sound several times as you did.
3. Practice the /h/ sound with the above listed "H" words. Put some emphasis on the /h/ sound when saying the words.
4. Work on the worksheet provided below.
5. Ask your child, "What sound does this make?" Also see if your child can suggest some other words with the /h/ sound.

Letter H Worksheets

Below is the printable worksheet for H and the /h/ sound. Right click and select "Save as..." to save the PDF file to your computer. Printing is enabled.