How to Teach H Sound: Articulation Activities, and Word Lists for Effective Speech Therapy

To teach the M sound, have the child gently press both lips together, turn the voice on, and hum — the air comes out through the nose, making a long “mmm,” like tasting something yummy. There’s no tongue position to worry about; the lips and the nasal hum do all the work. A fun check: have the child touch the side of the nose to feel it buzz, or press the lips together and hum “mmm” while smiling. Practice in order: the sound alone, then syllables (ma, me, mo), then words (mom, moon, ham), then phrases and sentences. The /m/ sound is the earliest of all sounds — it’s why “mama” is often a baby’s first word — usually appearing by age 1 to 2. If your child says “b” instead (“ban” for “man”), they’re losing the nasal hum; if they say “n” (“noon” for “moon”), the lips aren’t coming together. Both fixes start with a good lips-together “mmm” hum.

The “h” sound is a voiceless glottal fricative, which means that it is produced by forcing air through a narrow opening between the vocal cords (glottal) to create friction (fricative). Unlike plosive sounds like “p” and “b”, the airflow is not completely blocked during the production of this sound. To produce the “h” sound, you need to exhale a breath of air while slightly constricting the space in your throat, causing the air to create friction as it passes through. You can try producing this sound by exhaling and saying the word “help” or “hello” and paying attention to the way your throat and breath work together to create the sound. In phonetics, this sound is represented by the symbol /h/.

Initial M Words (words that start with M)

H2: Initial M Words (words that start with M)

1-syllable: mad, maid, mail, main, make, man, mane, map, march, mark, mask, mat, match, math, maze, me, meal, mean, meat, meet, melt, men, mess, mice, mild, mile, milk, mind, mine, mint, miss, mix, moan, mob, mole, mom, mood, moon, moose, mop, more, moss, moth, mouse, mouth, move, mow, much, mud, mug, mule, munch, must, mute

2-syllable: magic, magnet, mailbox, mango, marble, market, marker, mermaid, message, metal, meteor, midnight, mirror, mitten, moment, monday, money, monkey, monster, morning, mother, motor, mountain, movie, muffin, mummy, muscle, museum (3), mushroom, music, mustache, mustard

Medial M Words (M sound in the middle)

2-syllable: almond, ammo, army, camel, chimney, comet, common, drummer, farmer, gamer, hammer, helmet, human, humor, jammies, lemon, limit, moment, oatmeal, palm tree, salmon, summer, swimmer, timer, tomcat

3-syllable: amazing, animal, cinnamon, dynamite, elementary, family, gummy bear, hamburger, marmalade, pajamas, tomato, tornado

H2: Final M Words (words that end with M)

1-syllable: aim, am, arm, beam, boom, broom, bum, calm, charm, clam, comb, cream, dime, dome, dream, drum, farm, foam, form, gem, gum, ham, harm, him, home, hum, jam, mom, name, palm, plum, room, same, seem, slam, some, steam, stem, swim, team, thumb, time, warm, worm, yum

2-syllable: album, bathroom, bedroom, blossom, bottom, costume, custom, ice cream, museum, mushroom, popcorn (no—remove), problem, program, ribbon (no—remove), system

Here are few tips you can follow to teach the “H” sound:

Demonstrate the sound: Start by demonstrating the “H” sound for your child. Explain that it is a voiceless sound made by exhaling a breath of air through an open mouth.

Visual Cue: Show the child how to exhale air through their mouth while their vocal cords remain quiet, causing a gentle sound to be produced. You can use a mirror to help the child see how their mouth and throat are positioned. You can also use a visual cue such as a picture or flashcard of an “H” to help your child remember the sound.

Understand the sound: Help your child understand that the “H” sound is made by exhaling air through an open mouth without using their voice.

Practice Blowing: Help your child get used to the sensation of exhaling air through an open mouth by having them practice blowing out candles, blowing bubbles, or blowing feathers across a table.

Practice Tongue Placement: Show your child how to keep their tongue flat and relaxed while making the “H” sound. You can make it more fun by having them imitate animal sounds, such as a howling wolf or a whinnying horse, while using the “H” sound.

Practice in Isolation: Once your child has mastered the correct tongue and mouth position, have them practice making the “H” sound on its own without any other sounds.

Add Syllables: After your child has mastered the “H” sound in isolation, have them practice using it in different syllables, such as “ha,” “he,” and “ho.” You can make it more fun by having them say silly words like “hippopotamus,” “hula hoop,” and “hedgehog.”

Practice in Words: Once your child has mastered the “H” sound in syllables, have them practice using it in different words such as “hat,” “hug,” and “help.”

Practice in Phrases: After your child has mastered the “H” sound in words, have them practice using it in phrases like “happy hippo,” “huge hug,” and “helpful hands.”

Practice in Sentences: Finally, have your child practice using the “H” sound in different sentences such as “Harry has a hat,” “I need help,” and “The house is huge.”

Free H audio flashcards featuring words with the “H” sound words can be a useful tool for improving pronunciation and vocabulary.