Pronunciation guide: IPA symbols, stress and word endings
Vowels
| iː | see | ɪ | sit | e / ɛ | bed | æ | cat |
| ɑː | father | ɒ | hot (UK) | ɔː | law | ʊ | put |
| uː | too | ʌ | cup | ɜː | bird | ə | about |
| eɪ | day | aɪ | my | ɔɪ | boy | aʊ | now |
| əʊ / oʊ | go (UK / US) | ɪə | near | eə | hair | ʊə | tour |
Consonants that look unusual
| θ | thin | ð | this | ʃ | she | ʒ | measure |
| tʃ | church | dʒ | judge | ŋ | sing | j | yes |
p b t d k g f v s z h m n l r w sound as in ordinary English spelling.
Marks
- ˈ main stress, before the stressed syllable: /ˈwɔːtə/ water · ˌ lighter (secondary) stress: /ˌʌndəˈstænd/ understand
- ː a long vowel · (r) an r said only in accents that pronounce it (most American, Scottish, Irish)
Common word endings
- -s / -es (plurals; he/she form of verbs): /s/ after voiceless sounds (cats), /z/ after voiced (dogs), /ɪz/ after s, z, sh, ch, j sounds (buses, watches). Spelling: -es after s, x, z, ch, sh; consonant + y → -ies (city → cities).
- -ed (past): /t/ after voiceless sounds (walked), /d/ after voiced (played), /ɪd/ after t or d (wanted). Spelling: love → loved, stop → stopped, carry → carried.
- -ing: make → making, run → running, see → seeing.
- Irregular: go, went, gone · be, was, been · see, saw, seen · man → men · child → children · mouse → mice.
- Older (King James) forms: -eth = -s (he loveth = he loves) · -est with “thou” (thou lovest) · spake = spoke.
English Dictionary · 107,383 entries · Sources & licences
H 4,491 entries
Page 1 of 23: h – hail-fellow
- h numeral, noun, proper noun, adverb, adjectiveThe eighth numeral symbol of the English alphabet, called aitch and written in the Latin script.
- H-bomb noun(slang) Abbreviation of hydrogen bomb.
- H-shaped adjectiveShaped like the capital letter "H".
- h.p. nouna unit of power equal to 746 watts
- h2o nounbinary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade…
- ha interjection, noun, proper nounA representation of laughter.
- ha'p'orth nounA halfpennyworth; the amount that can be bought for a halfpenny.
- ha'penny noun(historical, Ireland, UK) A halfpenny; a former British and Irish coin.
- ha-ha interjection, noun, verbAn approximation of the sound of laughter.
- HAART noun(pharmacology, virology) Initialism of highly active antiretroviral therapy.
- haastia noungenus of New Zealand mat-forming herbs or subshrubs: vegetable sheep
- Habacuc proper noun(rare) Alternative form of Habakkuk.
- Habakkuk proper noun(biblical) A prophetic book in the Old Testament of the Bible, one of the minor prophets; or the eighth part of the Tere Asar in the Jewish…
- habanera nounA style of music from Cuba.
- habeas corpus noun, verb(law) A writ ordering that a person be brought before a court or a judge, most frequently used to ensure that a person's imprisonment, dete…
- habenaria nounchiefly terrestrial orchids with tubers or fleshy roots often having long slender spurs and petals and lip lobes; includes species formerly…
- Haber proper nounA surname from German.
- Haber process proper noun(inorganic chemistry) The nitrogen-fixation reaction of nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas, over an enriched iron or ruthenium catalyst, used in…
- haberdasher nounA dealer in ribbons, buttons, thread, needles and similar sewing goods.
- haberdashery nounRibbons, buttons, thread, needles and similar sewing goods sold in a haberdasher's shop.
- habergeon noun(historical) A sleeveless or short-sleeved coat of mail armour (a shorter hauberk).
- habiliment nounClothes, especially clothing appropriate for someone's job, status, or to an occasion.
- habilimented adjective(dated) Clothed.
- habilitate adjective, verb(obsolete) Qualified or entitled.
- habit noun, verbAn action performed on a regular basis.
- habit-forming adjective(formal, euphemistic) Addictive; likely to cause dependence or recurrence of use.
- habitability nounThe property of being habitable.
- habitable adjectiveSafe and comfortable, where humans, or other animals, can live; fit for habitation.
- habitableness nounThe property of being habitable.
- habitant noun(Canada) A member of a habitation colony at Stadacona founded by Samuel de Champlain, where Quebec City now lies.
- habitat noun(uncountable, biology) Conditions suitable for an organism or population of organisms to live.
- habitation noun(uncountable) The act of inhabiting; state of inhabiting or dwelling, or of being inhabited; occupancy.
- habited adjectiveDressed in a habit.
- habitual adjective, nounOf or relating to a habit; established as a habit; performed over and over again; recurrent, recurring.
- habitual abortion noun(medicine) The third (or later) of a set of spontaneous abortions that occur simultaneously.
- habitually adverbBy habit; in a habitual manner.
- habituate verbTo make accustomed; to accustom; to familiarize.
- habituation nounThe act of habituating, or accustoming; the state of being habituated.
- habitude noun(archaic) The essential character of one's being or existence; native or normal constitution; mental or moral constitution; bodily conditio…
- habitué nounOne who frequents a place.
- habitus noun(zoology) Habitude; mode of life; bearing.
- Habsburg proper noun, noun, adjectiveAn Alpine castle in Aargau canton, northern Switzerland.
- háček noun, proper noun(orthography and typography) A caron; a diacritical mark (ˇ) usually resembling an inverted circumflex, but in the cases of ď, Ľ, ľ, and ť …
- Hachiman proper noun(Japanese mythology, Shinto, Buddhism) the Japanese god of archery and tutelary deity of samurai.
- hachure noun, verb(cartography, chiefly historical) A line on a map indicating the steepness of a slope.⁷
- hacienda nounA large homestead in a ranch or estate, usually in places where Colonial Spanish culture has had architectural influence.
- hack verb, noun, interjection, proper noun(transitive) To chop or cut down in a rough manner.
- hack saw nounAlternative spelling of hacksaw.
- hack-driver nounsomeone who drives a taxi for a living
- hackamore nounA kind of bridle with no bit.
- hackberry noun, proper nounAny of several deciduous trees of the genus Celtis, widespread over the Northern Hemisphere, having small fruit.
- hackbut nounObsolete form of arquebus.
- hackee noun(US, dialect) The chickaree or red squirrel.
- hackelia nounstickweed; beggar's lice
- hacker noun, verb, proper nounSomeone who hacks.
- hackle noun, verbAn instrument with steel pins used to comb out flax or hemp.
- hackles noun, proper nounplural of hackle
- hackmatack nounA larch, a tree of the species Larix laricina.
- hackney noun, adjective, verb, proper noun(archaic) An ordinary horse.
- hackney carriage noun(UK, chiefly historical) A horse-drawn carriage for public hire.
- hackneyed adjectiveRepeated too often.
- hacksaw noun, verbA saw, with a blade that is put under tension, for cutting metal
- hackwork noun(informal) Work that is usually of a professional nature, either repetitive or following a certain formula.
- had verb(auxiliary, followed by a past participle) Used to form the past perfect tense, expressing an action that took place prior to a reference p…
- had best verb(modal, auxiliary verb) Had better.
- hadal adjectiveOf or relating to the deepest parts of the ocean.
- haddock noun, proper nounA saltwater fish, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, of the North Atlantic, important as a food fish.
- Hadean proper noun, adjective(geology) The Hadean eon; part of the Precambrian supereon, spanning from around 4.6 to 4 billion years ago.
- Hadean time proper noun(geology) The geologic eon from about 4,600 to 3,800 million years ago, marked by the formation of the first rocks.
- hades proper noun(Greek mythology) The god of the underworld and ruler of the dead, son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Zeus and Poseidon.
- hadith noun, proper noun(countable, religion, Islam) An eyewitness account of a saying or action of Muhammad or sometimes one of his companions not otherwise found…
- hadj nounAlternative spelling of hajj.
- hadji nounAlternative spelling of hajji.
- Hadrian proper noun(historical) The Roman emperor Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus.
- Hadrian's Wall proper nounA fortification of stone and timber built by the Roman Empire across the width of what is now northern England.
- hadron noun(particle physics) A composite particle that comprises two or more quarks held together by the strong force and (consequently) can interact…
- hadrosaur noun(paleontology) Any ornithopod dinosaur of the family Hadrosauridae.
- hadrosauridae nounduck-billed dinosaurs; upper Cretaceous
- hadrosaurus nounany of numerous large bipedal ornithischian dinosaurs having a horny duck-like bill and webbed feet; may have been partly aquatic
- haecceity noun(philosophy) The essence of a particular thing that gives it its unique particularity; those qualities that make an individual this specifi…
- Haeckel proper nounA surname in German
- haem nounAustralia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, and UK standard spelling of heme.
- haemagglutinate verbAlternative form of hemagglutinate.
- haemagglutination noun(British spelling) Alternative form of hemagglutination.
- haemal adjective(British spelling) Pertaining to the blood or blood vessels.
- haemal arch noun(anatomy) The position of a vertebra enclosing and protecting the heart and other viscera.
- haemangioma noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemangioma.
- haemanthus noungenus of African deciduous or evergreen bulbous herbs: blood lilies
- haematal adjectiverelating to the blood vessels or blood
- haematemesis noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hematemesis.
- haematic adjective, noun(British spelling) Alternative form of hematic.
- haematinic adjective, nounAlternative form of hematinic.
- haematite noun(chiefly British spelling) Alternative spelling of hematite.
- haematobia nounEuropean genus of bloodsucking flies
- haematocele noun(British spelling, medicine) Alternative spelling of hematocele.
- haematochezia nounAlternative form of hematochezia.
- haematocoele nounswelling caused by blood collecting in a body cavity (especially a swelling of the membrane covering the testis)
- haematocolpometra nounaccumulation of blood in the vagina and uterus
- haematocolpos nounAlternative form of hematocolpos.
- haematocrit noun(British spelling, physiology) Alternative spelling of hematocrit.
- haematocytopenia nounan abnormally low number of red blood cells in the blood
- haematocyturia nounthe presence of red blood cells in the urine
- haematogenesis noun(physiology) The origin and development of blood.
- haematogenic adjectiveRelating to haematogenesis.
- haematohiston nouna colorless protein obtained by removing heme from hemoglobin; the oxygen carrying compound in red blood cells
- haematoidin nounAlternative form of hematoidin.
- haematological adjectiveAlternative spelling of hematological.
- haematologist nounA scientist, usually a medical doctor, who specializes in haematology.
- haematology noun(medicine) The scientific study of blood and blood-producing organs.
- haematolysis nounhaemolysis
- haematoma nounUK standard spelling of hematoma.
- haematopodidae nounoystercatchers
- haematopoiesis noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hematopoiesis.
- haematopoietic adjective(British spelling) Of or pertaining to haematopoiesis.
- haematopus nounoystercatchers
- haematoxylon nounsmall genus of tropical American spiny bushy shrubs or trees
- haematoxylum nounsmall genus of tropical American spiny bushy shrubs or trees
- haematuria nounUK standard spelling of hematuria.
- haemic adjective(chiefly UK) Alternative spelling of hemic.
- haemitin nouna complex red organic pigment containing iron and other atoms to which oxygen binds
- haemodialysis noun(British spelling, medicine) The use of dialysis to remove waste products from the blood in the case of kidney failure.
- haemodoraceae nounsome genera placed in family Liliaceae
- haemodorum nountype genus of family Haemodoraceae
- haemogenesis nounhaematopoiesis
- haemoglobin noun(Commonwealth) Alternative spelling of hemoglobin.
- haemoglobinemia nounpresence of excessive hemoglobin in the blood plasma
- haemoglobinopathy noun(British spelling, medicine) Any of a group of inherited disorders in which haemoglobin does not function properly
- haemoglobinuria noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemoglobinuria.
- haemolysin nounAlternative spelling of hemolysin.
- haemolysis noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemolysis.
- haemolytic adjective(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemolytic.
- haemophile nounsomeone who has hemophilia and is subject to uncontrollable bleeding
- haemophilia noun(Commonwealth, pathology) Any of several hereditary illnesses that impair the body's ability to control bleeding, usually passed from mothe…
- haemophilia A nounAlternative form of hemophilia A.
- haemophilia B nounAlternative form of hemophilia B.
- haemophiliac noun(British spelling) A person with haemophilia.
- haemophilic adjective(Commonwealth) Alternative spelling of hemophilic.
- haemopis nounleeches
- haemopoiesis noun(medicine) The production of blood cells and platelets, a process which in adults takes place within the bone marrow.
- haemopoietic adjectiveAlternative spelling of hemopoietic.
- haemoproteid noun(zoology) Any member of the Haemoproteidae.
- haemoproteidae nounbird parasites
- haemoprotein nounAlternative spelling of hemoprotein.
- haemoproteus nountype genus of the family Haemoproteidae
- haemoptysis noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemoptysis.
- haemorrhage noun, verbBritish standard spelling of hemorrhage.
- haemorrhagic adjective(chiefly British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemorrhagic.
- haemorrhagic fever noun(chiefly UK, pathology) viral haemorrhagic fever
- haemorrhoid noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemorrhoid.
- haemorrhoidectomy nounAlternative form of hemorrhoidectomy.
- haemosiderin nounAlternative form of hemosiderin.
- haemosiderosis nounAlternative form of hemosiderosis.
- haemosporidia nounplural of haemosporidian
- haemosporidian nounAny parasitic protozoa of the order Haemosporida
- haemostasia nounAlternative form of hemostasia.
- haemostasis noun(British spelling) Alternative spelling of hemostasis.
- haemostat noun(British spelling) A clamp used in surgery to close the severed end of a blood vessel to stop bleeding.
- haemothorax nounAlternative form of hemothorax.
- haemulidae noungrunts
- haemulon nountype genus of the Haemulidae
- hafnium noun(chemistry) A chemical element (symbol Hf) with an atomic number of 72: a lustrous, silvery-grey tetravalent transition metal.
- haft noun, verbThe handle of a tool or weapon.
- haftarah noun(Judaism) A selection from the books of Nevi'im and Ketuvim of the Tanach, usually corresponding to the week's parashah, publicly read in s…
- haftorah nounAlternative form of Haftarah.
- hag noun, verbA witch, sorceress, or enchantress; a female wizard.
- hag-ridden adjectiveAlternative spelling of hagridden.
- hagada nounTalmudic literature that does not deal with law but is still part of Jewish tradition
- Haganah proper noun(historical) A Jewish paramilitary organization in the British Mandate of Palestine (1921–48), which became the core of the Israel Defense …
- hagberry nounPrunus padus, a species of cherry native to northern Europe and northern Asia, the bird cherry.
- hagbut noun(obsolete) An arquebus, a firearm with a long barrel.
- Hagerstown proper nounA city, the county seat of Washington County, Maryland; named for founder Jonathan Hager.
- hagfish nounAny of the primitive eellike fish, of the family Myxinidae, having a sucking mouth with rasping teeth, and sometimes used as food or for ee…
- Haggada proper nounAlternative form of Aggadah.
- Haggadah proper noun(Judaism) The text which is recited at Seder during the first and second nights of Passover, focused on the freeing of Israel from Egyptian…
- Haggai proper nounA book of the Old Testament of the Bible and the Tanakh.
- haggard adjective, noun, proper nounLooking exhausted, worried, or poor in condition
- haggardly adjective, adverbSynonym of haggard.
- haggis noun, proper nounA traditional Scottish dish made from minced sheep offal with oatmeal and spices, etc., originally boiled in the stomach of a sheep but now…
- haggle verb(intransitive) To argue for a better deal, especially over prices between a buyer and seller.
- haggler nounA person who haggles.
- haggling nounThe act of one who haggles.
- Hagia Sophia proper nounA mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
- Hagiographa proper noun(Judaism) The third division of the Hebrew scriptures; the Ketuvim.
- hagiographer nounSomeone who writes the biography of a saint.
- hagiographist nounSynonym of hagiographer.
- hagiography noun(uncountable) The study of saints and the documentation of their lives.
- hagiolatry nounThe worship of saints.
- hagiologist nounA writer on the lives of the saints; a hagiographer.
- hagiology nounliterature dealing with the lives of saints
- hagridden adjectiveTormented by witches, demons, or evil spirits.
- Hahn proper nounA surname from Korean.
- hahnium noun(chemistry, obsolete) A rejected name for dubnium.
- haick nounAlternative form of haik.
- Haida noun, proper nounA member of an indigenous people of the Northwest Coast of North America who live primarily in British Columbia and Alaska.
- Haifa proper nounA port city in northern Israel.
- haik nounA covering for the head and body worn by Arabs.
- haiku noun, proper nounA Japanese poem in three lines, the first and last consisting of five morae, and the second consisting of seven morae, usually with an emph…
- hail noun, verb, adjective, interjection, proper noun(meteorology, uncountable) Balls or pieces of ice falling as precipitation, often in connection with a thunderstorm.
- Hail Mary noun, verb(Christianity) A prayer, of established or conventional wording, calling for the intercession of the Virgin Mary.
- hail-fellow adjective, nounSynonym of hail-fellow-well-met.