How to pronounce here
Say it like HEER. Here 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 here. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HEER
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Here pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HEERSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "ee" in see.
American vs British pronunciation of here
- Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead.
British respelling: HEER.
What does here mean?
- in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is“I work here”“turn here”
- in this circumstance or respect or on this point or detail“what do we have here?”“here I must disagree”
- to this place (especially toward the speaker)“come here, please”
- the present location; this place“where do we go from here?”
- queen of the Olympian gods in ancient Greek mythology; sister and wife of Zeus remembered for her jealously of the many mortal women Zeus fell in love with; identified with Roman Juno
- being here now“is everyone here?”
Where does here come from?
Cognate with Saterland Frisian hier, West Frisian hjir, Dutch hier, German Low German hier, German hier, Danish her, Swedish här, Norwegian her, Faroese her, Icelandic hér.
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with here
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of here.
Words that sound like here
Questions about saying here
How do you pronounce here?
Say HEER. The American pronunciation is /hir/. In British English it is /hɪə/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in here?
Here is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HEER.
Is here pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. Americans pronounce the r after a vowel; most British speakers leave it silent and lengthen the vowel instead. The British form is /hɪə/ (HEER).
What words sound the same as here?
Here sounds the same as hear in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.