The phonics h sound is the fourth sound of Jolly Phonics Group 2 — c, k, e, h, r, m, d — usually introduced in Reception or kindergarten, somewhere between age 4 and 5.
It’s one of the gentler sounds to teach, since it’s really just breath. Here’s a short story, the official action, word lists, and a free worksheet to print.
Story Time: The Buzzing Beehive
Julia and her brother were allowed to walk around the yard on their own for the first time. “Look, there’s a papery bag hanging in that tree,” Julia said, pointing up. Curious, Danny tossed a small stone at it — and a huge cloud of bees poured out of what turned out to be a beehive. “Run!” Julia shouted, and the two of them sprinted the whole way home. When they finally reached the porch, all they could do was catch their breath: “hhh, hhh, hhh.” Mom laughed once she heard the story and said next time they’d admire beehives from much further away.
Making the /h/ Sound
/h/ is a voiceless, breathy sound made only with air from the throat — there’s no vibration, and the mouth is already shaped for whatever vowel comes next. The Jolly Phonics action is to hold a hand in front of your mouth and pant as if out of breath: h, h, h. A good cue song is to pant along to a simple rhythm, like “h… h… h…, catching my breath,” getting a little faster each round.
/h/ doesn’t have a close voiced twin the way p and b do, but it does have two other quirks worth knowing: some words spell h but never say it, such as hour and honest, and on paper the letter shapes h and n are easy for new writers to mix up. If your child writes n for h, or the other way around, just point out that h has a short straight line first and then the hump, while n starts right at the hump.
Where /h/ Shows Up
Words that begin with /h/
- hat
- hen
- hug
- horse
- hill
- hop
- hand
- house
Words with /h/ in the middle
- grasshopper
- doghouse
- playhouse
- unhappy
- behind
- greyhound
/h/ almost never shows up at the end of an English word, so there’s no end-of-word list to practice here — it’s a beginning-and-middle sound only.
Blend these one sound at a time: h-a-t → hat, h-e-n → hen, h-o-p → hop, h-u-g → hug.
Download the Free Jolly Phonics 42 Sounds Chart
Get all 42 Jolly Phonics letter sounds on one free printable chart PDF — in teaching order with an example word for every sound.
Three Fast Activities
- Sound hunt (2 minutes): look around the house for things that start with /h/, such as a hat, a hairbrush or a hanger.
- Listen and mark (3 minutes): use the picture below, say each word slowly, and ask your child to mark it only when they hear /h/ at the start.
- Build a word (5 minutes): use three of the flashcards below — h, a, d — to spell had, then swap in the fourth card to try new combinations.
Find the complete set on our phase 2 phonics flashcards page.
Practice the Letter H
Here’s the letter /h/ tracing worksheet to practice: Letter H h Tracing Worksheets
Our printable animal-tracing sheet gives more practice space once your child can already form h on their own.
Before and After /h/
In Group 2, /h/ comes right after the /e/ sound and just before the /r/ sound. Check the Jolly Phonics complete guide for the full 42-sound order.
Watch and Listen
Frequently asked questions
What age do children learn the /h/ sound?
Most children meet /h/ in Reception or kindergarten, between age 4 and 5, as the fourth sound of Jolly Phonics Group 2.
What is the Jolly Phonics action for /h/?
Hold a hand in front of your mouth and pant as if out of breath, saying h, h, h.
Why is the h silent in words like hour and honest?
These are simply irregular spellings that a child needs to memorize by sight, since the letter h is written but never pronounced in them.
Which sound comes after /h/ in Jolly Phonics?
The /r/ sound follows /h/ in Group 2, which continues with c, k, e, h, r, m and d.
