How to pronounce he
Say it like HEE. He is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce he. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HEE
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
He pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HEESay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of he
American and British speakers say he in essentially the same way: /hi/ in the US and /hiː/ in the UK.
British respelling: HEE.
What does he mean?
- a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas)
- the 5th letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Where does he come from?
Cognate with Scots he (“he”), North Frisian he, hi (“he”), Saterland Frisian hie (“he”), West Frisian hy (“he”), Dutch hij, ie (“he”), German Low German he (“he”), Middle High German her (“he”) Central Franconian hä (“he”), Gothic *𐌷𐌹𐍃 (*his, “this”).
Words that rhyme with he
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of he.
Questions about saying he
How do you pronounce he?
Say HEE. The American pronunciation is /hi/. In British English it is /hiː/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in he?
He is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HEE.
Do Americans and Brits say he the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hi/ and the British form is /hiː/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.