How to pronounce hit
Say it like HIT. Hit 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 hit. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- HIT
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Hit pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- HITSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "i" in sit.
American vs British pronunciation of hit
American and British speakers say hit in essentially the same way: /hɪt/ in the US and /hɪt/ in the UK.
British respelling: HIT.
What does hit mean?
- cause to move by striking“hit a ball”
- hit against; come into sudden contact with“The car hit a tree”“He struck the table with his elbow”
- deal a blow to, either with the hand or with an instrument“He hit her hard in the face”
- (baseball) a successful stroke in an athletic contest (especially in baseball)“he came all the way around on Williams' hit”
- the act of contacting one thing with another“repeated hitting raised a large bruise”“after three misses she finally got a hit”
- a conspicuous success“that song was his first hit and marked the beginning of his career”“that new Broadway show is a real smasher”
Similar and opposite words
Opposite meaning
Words that rhyme with hit
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of hit.
Questions about saying hit
How do you pronounce hit?
Say HIT. The American pronunciation is /hɪt/. In British English it is /hɪt/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in hit?
Hit is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: HIT.
Do Americans and Brits say hit the same way?
Almost exactly. The American form is /hɪt/ and the British form is /hɪt/, so you can use either pronunciation with any listener.