How to pronounce hill
Say it like HIL. Hill 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 hill. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HIL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Hill pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HILSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of hill
American and British speakers say hill in essentially the same way: /hɪl/ in the US and /hɪl/ in the UK.
British respelling: HIL.
What does hill mean?
- a local and well-defined elevation of the land“they loved to roam the hills of West Virginia”
- structure consisting of an artificial heap or bank usually of earth or stones“they built small mounds to hide behind”
- United States railroad tycoon (1838-1916)
- form into a hill
Where does hill come from?
Cognate with Middle Dutch hille, hulle (“hill”), Low German hull (“hill”), Faroese hólur (“hill”), Icelandic and Old Norse hóll (“hill”), Norn hul (“hillock”), Norwegian hol (“low hillock”), Swedish kulle (“hill”), Catalan coll (“hill”), It
Words that rhyme with hill
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of hill.
Questions about saying hill
How do you pronounce hill?
Say HIL. The American pronunciation is /hɪl/. In British English it is /hɪl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in hill?
Hill is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HIL.
Do Americans and Brits say hill the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hɪl/ and the British form is /hɪl/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.