Native Phrase Lab
WillowbrookWord 11 of 100 · Silent letters
How to pronounce half
/hɑːf/ British English
HAHF
1 beat (syllable).
a Crossed-out letters are silent.
✗ Many people say
HALF
✓ Say
HAHF
My tip
The l is silent. Same in calm and calf.
In a sentence
I’ll be there in half an hour.
Now you say it
- Listen to me two or three times.
- Say it slowly, one beat at a time: HAHF.
- Say the sentence at normal speed.
Questions
How do you pronounce half?
In British English, half is pronounced /hɑːf/. Say it like this: HAHF. The l is silent. Same in calm and calf.
How many syllables are in half?
When you say it, half has 1 syllable: HAHF.
More words like this: silent letters
Practise these sounds
- The strong beat: /ɑː/ as in “car”Meet this sound and hear it in my Sound Atlas. Free.
- The Sound MapAll 44 sounds of British English, in my voice. Free.
- Pitch Perfect: the Silent letters setHear me say it, record yourself, and see your sound under mine. A premium game.
- More gamesFive of my English games are free to play.