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June 19, 2020 by Ashley Reid Reading Practice in Spanish, Spanish for Kids, Spanish Vocabulary 0 comments

Spelling Words in Spanish with the Letter H

There is one letter in Spanish that trips up both native speakers and new learners: H. Because it is the only silent letter in Spanish, it can be quite confusing to remember which words are spelled with an H. Don’t worry! That’s why we have put together several lists for you to master spelling words in Spanish with this letter.

The Silent Helper

Before we look at some spelling words in Spanish, we need to learn more about the Spanish H. You may be wondering why a letter exists if it doesn’t make a sound. That’s a great point, but the H is a silent helper for the other letters.

  • When the H follows a C, together they make a “ch” sound. (Learn more about CH spelling words in Spanish in our blog post.)
  • The H at the beginning of a word can differentiate two words that sound the same. 
    • Hola and ola are pronounced the same, but the H helps us know when we are talking about a wave or saying hello.
  • An H in the middle of a word often separates two vowels so that they each have a voice. When two vowels are next to each other, they often form one sound. (You can learn about this in our diphthong blog post.)
    • Vehículo – here the H separates the e from the i. If it wasn’t spelled with the H, it would be pronounced bai-coo-loh instead of bay-ee-coo-loh. 
  • An H in the middle of a word also separates double vowels or two strong vowel sounds. This aids in pronunciation when reading and helps us to separate sounds and syllables correctly.
    • Albahaca and almohada are both examples of the silent H separating two strong vowel sounds. Instead of the vowels merging together (or in the case of albahaca only pronouncing 3 As instead of 4), the H reminds us to pronounce each vowel individually.
  • You can also find an H in the middle of a word if a prefix comes before a base word that originally starts with H. 
    • Malhumor and deshonrar both have prefixes: mal- and des- respectively. The base words keep the H despite the additional letters.

As you can see, the Spanish H is not a useless, silent letter. It is essential for correct understanding and pronunciation. It is a silent helper.

Spelling Words in Spanish: H-

You’re now ready to start spelling words in Spanish with the silent H! Always remember to practice spelling these words out loud. This will help you memorize the Spanish letter names and commit the spelling to memory much quicker. Start with the small words and work your way up to the longer words. To get you started, here are the letter names for the most common letters in the spelling words below.

H – achay

learn spanish spelling words

A – ah

E – ay

I – ee

O – oh

U – oo

Also, there are several words in the spelling lists that have an accent over a vowel. To say that a letter has an accent, you can use one of the following phrases:

…con una tilde en la [letra]  …with an accent mark on the [letter]

… [letra] con tilde      …[letter] with an accent mark

HA- Words

3-letter Words
HayaiThere is / There are
HazahsBeam of light
4-letter Words
Hadaah-dahFairy
Hadoah-dohFate
Hatoah-tohHerd / bundle
Hayaah-yahBeech tree (and subjunctive form of haber)
5-letter Words
Haber ah-bairTo have
Hábilah-beelSkillful 
Hacerah-sairTo do / to make
Hachaah-chahAxe
Haciaah-syahToward
Halarah-lahrTo pull
Hartoahr-tohFed up
Hastaahs-tahUntil
6-letter Words
Hábitoah-bee-tohHabit
Hablarah-blahrTo talk
Hallarah-yahrTo find
Harinaahr-een-ahFlour
Hartarahr-tahrTo get tired of

HE- Words

4-letter Words
Henoay-nohHay
5-letter Words
Hebraay-brahThread 
Hechoay-chochFact
Hederay-dairTo stink
Helaray-lahrTo freeze
Helioay-lyoHelium
Heñirain-yeerTo knead
Herirair-eerTo hurt
Héroeair-oh-ayHero
6-letter Words
Hebreoay-bray-ohHebrew
Heladoay-lah-dohIce cream
Hendirain-deerTo split
Hervirair-beerTo boil
7-letter Words
Hechuraay-chuhr-ahMaking / workmanship
Heredarair-ay-dahrTo inherit
Hermanoair-mahn-ohBrother
Hermosoair-moh-sohBeautiful

HI- Words

4-letter Words
Hijoee-hohSon
Higoee-gohFig
Hiloee-lohThread
Hipoee-pohHiccup
Hitoee-tohMilestone
5-letter Words
Hieloyay-lohIce
Himnoeem-nohHymn
6-letter Words
Hierbayair-bahWeed
Hierroyair-rohIron
Híjoleee-hoh-layWow
Hisopoee-soh-pohCotton swab
7-letter Words
Higieneee-hyay-nayHygiene
Hinchareen-chahrTo inflate
8-letter Words
Hipoteca ee-poh-tay-kahMortgage
Hirienteee-ryain-tayHurtful
Historiaees-tohr-yahHistory, story

HO- Words

3-letter Words
HoyoiToday
4-letter Words
Hojaoh-hahLeaf, page
Holaoh-lahHello
Horaohr-ahHour, time
Hoyooh-yohHole
5-letter Words
Hogaroh-gahrHome
Hondoohn-dohDeep
Hongoohn-gohFungus
Honoroh-nohrHonor
Hornoohr-nohOven
Hoteloh-telHotel
6-letter Words
Hocicooh-see-cohSnout
Hombreohm-brayMan
Hombroohm-brohShoulder
Honrarohn-rahrTo honor
Horrorohr-rohrHorror
7-letter Words
Honestooh-nays-tohHonest
Horarioohr-ahr-yohSchedule
Hormigaohr-mee-gahAnt
Hornearohr-nay-ahrTo bake
8-letter Words
Hospitalohs-pee-tahlHospital

HU- Words

3-letter Words
HuyooiWow, ouch
4-letter Words
Huiroo-eerTo flee
Humooo-mohSmoke
5-letter Words
Huecoway-cohHole
Huesoway-sohBone
Huevoway-bohEgg
Humoroo-mohrHumor
6-letter Words
Huelgawayl-gahStrike
Huellaway-yahFootprint, track
Huertowayr-tohOrchard
Humanooo-mahn-ohHuman
Húmedooo-may-dohHumid
Hundiroon-deerTo sink
7-letter Words
Huéspedways-paidGuest
Humildeoo-meel-dayHumble
Huracánoor-ah-cahnHurricane
8-letter Words
Huérfanowayr-fah-nohOrphan

Spelling Words in Spanish with H in the Middle

3-letter Words
Ahíah-eeThere
4-letter Words
Búhoboo-ohOwl
Mohomoh-ohMold, rust
5-letter Words
Ahoraah-ohr-ahNow
6-letter Words
Ahogarah-oh-gahrTo drown
Cohetecoh-ay-tayRocket
7-letter Words
Adherirahd-air-eerTo stick, to adhere
Ahorcarah-ohr-cahrTo hang
Ahorita ah-ohr-ee-tahRight now
Ahorrarah-ohr-rahrTo save
Alcoholahl-coh-ohlAlcohol
Anhelarah-nay-lahrTo desire
Inhábileen-ah-beelUnskillful
Rehusarray-oo-sahrTo refuse
8-letter Words
Albahacaahl-bah-ah-kahBasil
Almohadaahl-moh-ah-dahPillow
Malhumormahl-oo-mohrBad mood
Prohibirproh-ee-beerTo prohibit
Vehículo bay-ee-coo-lohVehicle
9-letter Words
Deshonrardays-ohn-rahrTo dishonor
For an Extra Challenge
Rompehielosrohm-pay-yay-lohsIce-breakers

Just Keep Spelling!

These spelling words in Spanish are a great place to start mastering letters, pronunciation, and written Spanish.  However, to take it a step further and really master Spanish spelling, try a free trial class with our expert Spanish teachers. In the live classes, you can ask them questions about the letters, pronunciation, or spelling. They will give you more exercises to practice with and make sure you completely understand each topic. Try a class today, and take the next step in becoming a Spanish master! ¡Conviértete en un maestro de ortografía en español!

Want more fantastic, free Spanish resources? Check out our recent posts!

    • Author
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    Ashley Reid
    Ashley Reid
    Freelance Writer at Homeschool Spanish Academy
    I have lived in Latin America for almost a decade, and in that time my love for languages has flourished. I am a professional writer and teacher, as well as a loving mom and wife. In my free time, I dabble in art and music.
    Ashley Reid
    Latest posts by Ashley Reid (see all)
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