Home
Site Map
Mobile
Learning Dutch? 
Now is The Time
Program 3
 Pronunciation
Listening
Hear Names
Words   Phrases Grammar Facebook 
my site

H in Dutch - Skip General Introduction

Pronunciation: Hear for Yourself

Do take my words for it
Too many examples! Listen just to what looks interesting or useful to you. That's the beauty of a free website - you can just skip what you don't need without feeling bad that you paid for something that's of no use to you. Listen to as many or as few examples as you want. Look for words that may be useful to you. - Can there be too many examples for you students to listen to?
Pay special attention to letters, letter combinations and sounds that you don't have in your own language
These pronunciation pages are not meant for learning vocabulary. The English translations may lack in precision. But if you like, follow the occasional links ‑>> to explanation, examples of usage and/or related words.
Learning Vocabulary

Adjectives in most positions get an -E  ending ‑>>
Several words appear twice on the page. I do not have an infinite number of recordings, and some combinations of letters are rarely or never found in Dutch.

Spelling and Pronunciation

Dutch spelling/pronunciation rules say that: So (de) man click to hear 2 ('man, human adult male) has the plural mannen (man-nen) click to hear 2 while (de) maan click to hear 2 ('moon') has the plural manen (ma-nen) click to hear 2 3

'Long' and 'short' are traditional terms. The difference is actually more of tone than length
More about spelling and pronunciation - another version
Learn the Rules by Studying and Listening to Examples

Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch:
- Page 1:   een   -IG   -ISCH   -LIJK  
- Page 2:   -B   -D   SCHR   -TIE   UW   WR

Hear the Dutch Letters in Hundreds of Words:
 AU/OU  CH  E  EI/IJ  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y

'Master Lists' of Dutch words: Dutch to English - English to Dutch

the: de click to hear 2 / het click to hear 2 3 - 't click to hear ->>
Plurals always take 'de'
a: (een) - 'n click to hear / one: één click to hear 2 3

H in Dutch - Hear for Yourself

(de) H click to hear
Is it 'just' breathing out, blowing air from the back of your mouth?
- ha! click to hear ('aha!')
- click to hear ('expression of disappointment') ‑>>
- click to hear ('hey!')
- ho! click to hear ('stop, halt!')
- hu! click to hear 2 ('stop!' // 'go!' - horse commands)
Listen to a few more H's to start with:
- heldhaftig click to hear 2 3 ('heroic') - hooghartig click to hear 2 ('haughty') - hierheen! click to hear 2 3 ('this way!' - 'this direction') - houthakker click to hear 2 3 ([woodchopper] 'lumberjack, logger') - huizenhoog click to hear 2 ([high as houses] - usually in an expression, 'very afraid to do or face something') - [(het)] huishouden click to hear 2 3 4 ('a household' // // 'managing, running a household' // 'to rampage') - Hooghaarlemmerdijks click to hear ('hypercorrect Dutch')
- hebben en houden click to hear ('all the possessions, everything owned') - van hot naar her click to hear / van hot naar haar click to hear ('in several random directions, no clear direction' - not knowing where to go or what to do) - met huid en haar click to hear 2 ([with skin and hair] - '(eating) the complete body' - like some predators do) - huis en haard click to hear ('home' - and hearth) - huis en hof click to hear ('house and garden') - 'n heet hangijzer click to hear 2 ('a difficult problem that needs to be addressed')
Meeting friends and close relatives, you could say "Ha die ...!" click to hear 2 3 ('Hello ...')
Ha die Herman! click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('Hello, Herman')
Een handje helpen click to hear 'to give, lend a hand, to help, assist' Ik hielp hem een handje click to hear 'I gave him a hand, I helped him' But:  Een hand geven click to hear 2 'to shake hands Ik gaf hem een hand click to hear 2 'I shook hands with him'
There will be separate pages about CH and SCH

The 'first series' is grouped by the letter after the H's, the 'second series' is grouped by the letter before the H's:

- first series: HA-HZ - short U second series: AH-AZ

Repeat the words after me, try saying them like I do, and record yourself or ask a friend to compare how you say them with how I say them. Try to bring your pronunciation of the words closer and closer to how I say them. Use as few or as many examples as you like.

HA  - hachelen click to hear ('to bargain' - negotiate for a lower price) - ik had click to hear 2 ('I had') ‑>> - wij hadden click to hear 2 3 4 ('we had') ‑>> - heldhaftig click to hear 2 ('heroic') - Bernard Haitink click to hear 2 (director - music) - hak click to hear ('heel' - shoe // 'garden tool') - hakken click to hear ('heels' // 'to chop, hack') - houthakker click to hear 2 3 ('lumberjack, logger') - gehakt click to hear ('ground meat' // 'chopped' - past participle) - (de) hal click to hear 2 3 4 ('hall') - (het) halletje click to hear 2 ('hallway,' small room behind front door) ‑>> - half click to hear / halve click to hear ('half') ‑>> - (het) halfuur click to hear 2 ('30 minutes, half an hour') ‑>> - behalve click to hear ('except') - hallo click to hear ('hi, hello') ‑>> - (de) ham click to hear ('ham') - Hamburg click to hear 2 (a city in Germany) - Han click to hear (boys' name) - Johan click to hear (boys' name) - hand click to hear ('hand') - (de) handdoek click to hear ('towel') ‑>> - (de) handel click to hear 2 ('trade, commerce') ‑>> - (de) handschoenen click to hear 2 ('gloves' [hand-shoes]) ‑>> - (de) handtekening click to hear ('signature') ‑>> - (het) behang click to hear ('wallpaper') - hangen click to hear ('to hang, hang up' - things
- hangen - hing - gehangen click to hear
('to hang - hung - hung')
- (de) hap click to hear ('bite of food' - taken) ‑>> - (het) hapje click to hear 2 ('morsel,' small, nice bite of food) - Harm click to hear (a boys' name) - (de) harp click to hear 2 ('harp') - (de) harpoen click to hear ('harpoon') - (de) hars click to hear 2 ('resin') - hard click to hear ('hard' - not soft // 'intense, powerful' ‑>> // 'loud' ‑>> // 'fast, not slow') ‑>> - hardlopen click to hear 2 3 ([to walk fast] - 'to run' ‑>> 2 - (het) hart click to hear ('heart') ‑>> - harten click to hear 2 ('hearts') (cards) - hartig click to hear / hartige click to hear 2) ('savory,' not sweet, 'salty' (the fifth basic taste 'umami'?) ‑>> - hooghartig click to hear 2 ('haughty') - Hasselt click to hear 2 (a town in Belgium)
HAA  - ha! click to hear ('aha!') - Hadewych click to hear (a girls' name) - Den Haag click to hear 2 ('The Hague,' a city) - behaaglijk click to hear 2 3 4 ('comfortable, pleasant, enjoyable' - temperature) - (de) hagedis click to hear 2 ('lizard') ‑>> - (de) haai click to hear / haaien click to hear 2 ('shark' / 'sharks' ‑>> - (de) haak click to hear ('hook') / haken click to hear ('hooks') - halen click to hear 2 ('to get, collect') ‑>>> - (de) hamer click to hear ('hammer') ‑>> - (de) haan click to hear 2 ('rooster') - haperen click to hear 2 3 4 ('to falter,' machinery not working properly) - haar click to hear ('hair' // 'her') ‑>> - (de) haring click to hear ('herring') ‑>> - (de) haas click to hear ('hare') - (de) haas / hazen click to hear ('hare / hares') ‑>> - [(de)] haast click to hear ('hurry, haste' // 'almost, nearly') ‑>>> - (de) haat click to hear ('hate') - (de) haven click to hear ('harbor, port') ‑>> - (de) hazelaar click to hear ('hazel' - a tree) - hazelnoten click to hear 2 ('hazelnuts, filiberts')
HAU  - (de) hausse click to hear ('boom,' "run" on something)
HE  click to hear - "isn't it?" ‑>> // - '~bummer!' (disappointment) ‑>> - hèhè click to hear 2 can be said after finishing some tiring or boring work, but also when you're annoyed that someone says something that you think is stupid or obvious - ik heb click to hear ('I have') - hebben click to hear ('to have') ‑>>> - jij hebt click to hear 2 ('you have') - heb jij? click to hear 2 ('do you have?') ‑>> - zich hechten aan click to hear 2 ('to become emotionally attached to') ‑>> - (de) hechting click to
      hear/ hechtingen click to
      hear 2 3 ('suture, medical stitch' / 'sutures') ‑>> - (de) hefboom click to hear ('lever, switch') - heftig click to hear 2 3 / heftige click to hear 2 3) ('violent, vehement, fierce, emotional') - (de) heg click to hear ('hedge') ‑>> - (de) heggeschaar click to hear ('hedge cutters') - (het) hek click to hear ('fence') ‑>> - (het) hekje click to hear 2 ('small fence' // 'small gate') - (de) heks click to hear ('witch') - (de) helling click to hear ('slope') - helder click to hear ('clear,' ~visible, ~transparent) ‑>> - (de) helft click to hear ('half - of') ‑>> - (de) helm click to hear ('helmet') ‑>> - help! click to hear 2 ('help me!' - 'I need help' emergencies - helpen click to hear 2 - to help, assist ‑>>
helpen - hielp - geholpen click to hear
('to help - helped - helped')
- hem click to hear ('him') ‑>> 2 - (het) hempje click to hear 2 ('small shirt or undershirt' - slang) - hen click to hear 2 ('them' ‑>> 2 // 'chicken') - Henk click to hear 2 (boys' name) - (de) herfst click to hear ('Fall, Autumn') ‑>> 2 - (het) hergebruik click to hear 2 ('re-use') - herhalen click to hear 2 ('to repeat') ‑>> (de) herhaling click to hear 2 ('repetition') - zich herinneren click to hear ('to remember') ‑>> - herinneren aan click to hear 2 3 ('to remind') ‑>> - (de) herinnering click to hear 2 ('memory item') - herkennen click to hear ('to recognize') ‑>> - (de) herrie click to hear ('noise') ‑>> - (de) hersenen click to hear ('the brain' - the body part) ‑>> - (de) hersens click to hear - 'brains,' - intelligence ‑>> - (het) herstel click to hear ('reparation, rebuilding') ‑>> - herstellen click to hear ('to repair, restore, re-establish, rebuild') - (het) hert click to hear / herten click to hear 2 - 'deer - 1' / 'deer >1') ‑>> - het click to hear 2 // 'the' (#2) ‑>>> // 'it') ‑>> 3 - hetzelfde click to hear / (dezelfde click to hear) ('the same') ‑>> - hexagonaal click to hear ('hexagonal, six-sided')
HEE  - click to hear ('hey!' // surprise) ‑>> - heden click to hear ('today, at present') ‑>> - hedendaags click to hear 2 ('of the present day, modern' / 'modern classical music') ‑>> - heeft-ie ...? click to hear ('does he have ...?') - colloquial Dutch - (de) spreektaal click to hear 2 3 'spoken language') - hij heeft click to hear 2 ('he has') ‑>> - (de) hekel click to hear ('strong dislike') - heel click to hear ('very' ‑>> 2 // 'whole') ‑>> - hele click to hear ('whole') ‑>> - helemaal click to hear 2 ('completely, entirely') ‑>> - (de) hemel click to hear ('heaven' ‑>> // 'sky') ‑>> - Heemstede click to hear (a town) - heen click to hear ('~to (direction)' ‑>> // 'gone') - (de) heer click to hear 2 3 ('gentleman' // king - cards) - plural: heren click to hear - de Heer click to hear 2 3 / de Here click to hear - God, the Lord ‑>> - heerlijk click to hear 2 3 ('delicious, really very nice') ‑>> - (de) heerser click to hear 2 3 ('ruler, dictator, autocrat') - hees click to hear ('hoarse, husky') - heet click to hear 2 3 /hete click to hear 2 3 / heet/hete click to hear 2 ('hot') - heten click to hear 2 ('to be called,' have the name ...) - hevig click to hear 2 / hevige click to hear 2) ('intense, fierce, serious' [think of 'heavy' and 'hefty'])
HE‑uh  hear HU below for a similar sound
HEI  - (de) hei click to hear / (de) heide click to hear ('heath, moor' // 'heather') - heidenen click to hear 2 ('heathens') - (de) heibel click to hear ('trouble, commotion' - slang) - heien click to hear 2 ('to drive piles into the ground' - for a building foundation on soft soil) - heiïg click to hear ('hazy') - heilig click to hear / heilige click to hear) ('holy, sacred') ‑>> - (de) heilige click to hear ('holy man, saint') - Heiloo click to hear 2 (a town) - heilzaam click to hear 2 3 ('beneficial,' good for health) - heimelijk click to hear 2 ('secretly') - (de) heimwee click to hear 2 ('homesickness' - German: Heimweh) - Hein click to hear (a boys' name) - Heineken click to hear 2 (a family name and a beer brand) - (het) heitje click to hear ('a quarter, 25¢ piece' - slang)
HEU  - (het) geheugen click to hear 2 3 ('memory' - the brain faculty) - Verheul click to hear 2 3 (a family name) - (de) heup click to hear ('hip') ‑>> - heus click to hear ('really' - children's talk) - Opheusden click to hear (a village) - Van Heusden click to hear 2 (a family name) - (de) heuvel click to hear / heuvels click to hear 2 ('hill' / 'hills') ‑>>
HI  - (de) hik click to hear 2 3 ('hiccup' // 'hiccups') - Hillegom click to hear (a town) - Hilversum click to hear (a city) - hinderlijk click to hear 2 ('irritating, annoying') - (de) Hinkelseberg click to hear 2 3 4 (a hill in my home town) - hinkelen click to hear 2 (a pattern jumping game) - hinken click to hear 2 3 ('jumping on one leg' // 'to limp,' walk with difficulty) - hinniken click to hear 2 3 4 ('to neigh' - horses - second I is pronounced as 'voiceless, unstressed E' click to hear the 'schwa') - (de) hitte click to hear 2 ('heat,' high temperature) - (de) hittegolf click to hear 2 3 4 ('heatwave')
HIE  - (de) hiel click to hear ('heel' - part of foot) - hier click to hear 2 ('here') ‑>> - hierheen! click to hear 2 3 ('this way!' - 'this direction')
See and hear also HY - below
HIJ  - hij click to hear ('he') ‑>> 2 - (de) hijskraan click to hear 2 ('crane') - hij belt click to hear 2 3 ('he's ringing a bell' // 'he's on the phone') - hij gaat click to hear 2 ('he's going') ‑>> - hij heeft click to hear 2 ('he has') ‑>> - hij is click to hear ('he is') ‑>> - hij kan click to hear 2 3 ('he can, he is able to') ‑>> - hij laat click to hear 2 3 ('he allows' a.o.) ‑>> - hij loog click to hear 2 ('he lied') - hij mag click to hear ('he ~may') ‑>> - hij moet click to hear 2 ('he ~must') ‑>> - hij rookt click to hear 2 ('he smokes') - hij slaat click to hear 2 3 ('he slaps, he hits') ‑>> - hij stierf click to hear 2 3 ('he died, he passed away') ‑>> - hij tilde click to hear 2 3 ('he lifted') - hij vroeg click to hear 2 3 ('he asked') ‑>> - hij wil click to hear 2 3 ('he wants, he would like to') ‑>> - hij zal click to hear 2 3 ('he will' - future tense') ‑>>
also hear HEI above
HO  - (de) hobby click to hear 2 ('hobby, pastime') - (het) hof click to hear ('court' // 'courtyard') - (het) hofje click to hear ('courtyard with many small houses') - (de) hofnar click to hear 2 ('court jester') - hoi click to hear ('hi, hello!' // 'goodbye' - both slang-y) ‑>> - (het) hok click to hear 2 ('shed, closet' // 'cage, pen') - hol click to hear 2 / holle click to hear ('hollow,' not solid) - (het) hol click to hear 2 ('lair' - burrowing animals or criminal gang home) - 'Hollandse kost' click to hear (Dutch home cooking, typical Dutch food) ‑>> - Noord-Holland click to hear 2 (a province) ‑>> - Zuid-Holland click to hear 2 (a province) - (de) hom click to hear 2 ('fish eggs') - (de) hommel click to hear 2 3 ('bumblebee') - (de) hond click to hear ('dog') ‑>> - het hondje click to hear ('little dog') - honderd click to hear ('100, a hundred') ‑>> - (de) honger click to hear ('hunger') ‑>> - ik heb honger click to hear ('I am hungry') ‑>> - hongerig click to hear 2 ('hungry') - (de) hop click to hear 2 ('hops' - a beer ingredient) - (de) hor click to hear 2 3 ('mosquito screen')
HOO  - ho! click to hear ('stop, halt!') - (het) hoofd click to hear ('head' - human and horse ‑>> // 'leading person') ‑>>
hoofd- click to hear ('main, major, most important') ‑>> - hoog click to hear 2 3 / hoge click to hear ('high') ‑>> 2 - hoger click to hear ('higher') ‑>> - hoogstens click to hear ('at most') ‑>> 2 - (het) hooi click to hear ('hay') - holen click to hear 2 3 ('lairs' - burrowing animals or criminal gang homes) - (de) holenmens click to hear 2 ('caveman') - (de) hoon click to hear 2 3 4 ('scorn') - (de) honing click to hear 2 ('honey') - (de) hoop click to hear ('hope' ‑>> // 'heap') ‑>> - hopen click to hear 2 ('to hope') ‑>> - hoor click to hear ('hear! hark!' ‑>> // 'sure, really' - pragmatic marker) ‑>> - horen click to hear ('to hear') ‑>>> 2 - (de/het) hoorn click to hear 2 ('horn') - (de) hoos click to hear ('whirlwind' // 'downpour') - (het) hotel click to hear ('hotel') ‑>> - hoven click to hear ('courts' // '~yards')
HOE  - hoe? click to hear ('how?') ‑>> - (de) hoed click to hear 2 ('hat') ‑>> - (de) hoek click to hear ('corner // angle') ‑>> - hoe laat is het? click to hear ('what's the time?') ‑>> 2 3 - (de) hoest click to hear ('cough') ‑>> - hoeveel click to hear ('how much, how many?') ‑>> - (de) hoeveelheid click to hear ('amount, quantity') ‑>> - [niet/geen] hoeven click to hear ('don't need, not necessary, don't want, don't have to') ‑>> - hoewel click to hear ('although') ‑>>
HOU  - houdbaar tot click to hear ('best before') ‑>> - houden click to hear 2 ('~to hold, to keep') ‑>>>
houden - hield - gehouden click to hear
to hold - held - held
- houden van click to hear ('to like, to love') ‑>>> - (de) houding click to hear ('attitude') - hou op! click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('stop it!') - (het) hout click to hear ('wood' - the material) ‑>> - houten click to hear 2 ('wooden' - made of wood) - (het) houvast click to hear 2 3 ('hold, grip,' "fixed point") - (de) houweel click to hear ('pickaxe') - Houweling click to hear (a family name)
also hear AU above
HU  - (de) hucht click to hear 2 3 ('hill' -or- 'slope, incline' - dialect) - (het) gehucht click to hear 2 ('hamlet,' very small village) - (de) hulde click to hear 2 ('homage, praise, tribute') - (de) hulp click to hear ('help, assistance') ‑>> - hulpeloos click to hear 2 3 ('helpless, powerless') - (de) huls click to hear 2 ('case, wrapping, shell') - (de) hulst click to hear ('holly' - a shrub) - hun click to hear 2 ('them' ‑>> 2 // 'their') ‑>> 2 - Hunnen click to hear 2 ('Huns') - hup! click to hear (encouragement) - huppelen click to hear 2 ('to skip, frolic') - hurken click to hear ('to squat' - ~sit, crouch) - (de) hut click to hear ('hut, cabin, shack') - hutten click to hear 2 ('huts') - (de) hutspot click to hear (a dish of carrots, potatoes and onion) ‑>>
HUU  - hu! click to hear 2 ('stop!' // 'go!' - horse calls) - Huub click to hear (a boys' name) - Hubert click to hear (a boys' name) - Hugo click to hear (a boys' name) - (de) humor click to hear ('humor') ‑>> - (het) humeur click to hear 2 3 ('~mood') - (de) humus click to hear 2 3 4 ('humus,' composted and composting leaves) - huren click to hear ('to rent, lease, hire') ‑>> - (de) huur click to hear 2 ('rent' - usually for a house or room) ‑>> - (het) huwelijk click to hear ('marriage') ‑>> - (de) huur click to hear 2 ('rent' of a house, room or building) - huren click to hear ('to rent') ‑>> - (de) huurder click to hear ('tenant') - (het) huurhuis click to hear ('rented house, house for rent') - (de) huurling click to hear 2 ([soldier-for-rent] - 'mercenary' - old-fashioned)
HUI  - Huibers click to hear 2 (a family name) - Huibert click to hear 2 (a boys' name) - (de) huid click to hear 2 ('skin') ‑>> - (de) huifkar click to hear ('covered wagon') - (de) huig click to hear ('uvula,' a part of the throat) - huilen click to hear ('to cry - shed tears') ‑>> - (het) huis click to hear 2 ('house') ‑>> - (de) huisarts click to hear 2 ('family doctor, primary care physician') ‑>> - huiveren click to hear (2) ('to shiver, shudder from fear') - huizen click to hear ('houses')
HY  - (de) hyena click to hear 2 ('hyena') - (de) hygiëne click to hear 2 3 ('hygiene') - (de) hygiënisch click to hear 2 ('hygienic') - hyper click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('hyper') - hypercorrect click to hear ('hypercorrect') - (de) hypotheek click to hear ('mortgage') - (de) hypothese click to hear ('hypothesis')

AH  - bah! click to hear ('yuck!' - expression of disgust) - "wah" click to hear (interjection - dialect)
AAH  - Abraham click to hear (a boys' name, a Biblical figure') - (de) djahé click to hear ('ground ginger' - from Malay) - ja hoor! click to hear ('Yes, sure!' // 'absolutely!')
AUH  - Kenau Hasselaer click to hear - also known as Kenau Simonsdochter Hasselaer click to hear 2 leader of the women of Haarlem during the siege by the Spanish army (1573)
BH  - ik heb honger click to hear ([I have hunger'] - 'I am hungry') - ik heb hoofdpijn click to hear 2 3 ('I have (a) headache')
CH  - (de) lach click to hear ('laugh') - echt click to hear 2 ('real') - dicht click to hear ('closed') - toch click to hear 2 ('yet, still' ‑>> // 'anyway') ‑>> - (de) zucht click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('sigh') psychisch click to hear 2 3 4 ('psychological, mental')
There will be a separate page about CH
DH  - heldhaftig click to hear 2 3 ('heroic') - (de) windhandel click to hear (['wind trading'] - 'fishy dealings') - naaldhakken click to hear 2 ('stiletto heels') - (de) mondharmonica click to hear ('mouth harp') - (de) brandhaard click to hear ('hotbed' // 'where a large fire started') - benodigdheden click to hear ('necessary items') - gloeiend heet click to hear 2 3 ([glowing -] 'red-hot') - kokend heet click to hear ('boiling-hot') - (de) wreedheid click to hear ('cruelty') - (de) bereidheid click to hear 2 ('readiness, willingness') - (de) vermoeidheid click to hear 2 3 4 ('fatigue, tiredness') - (de) geestesgesteldheid click to hear ('mental state') - de Oudheid click to hear ('Antiquity') - Noord-Holland click to hear 2 (a province of The Netherlands) ‑>> - (de) waldhoorn click to hear 2 3 4 ('French horn') - Eindhoven click to hear 2 (a city) - Badhoevedorp click to hear (a town) - (de) stadhouder click to hear 2 (Heads of State of the Dutch Republic from 1568 to 1795) ‑>> - (het) brandhout click to hear 2 ('firewood') - (de) beeldhouwer click to hear 2 ('sculptor') - (het) ochtendhumeur click to hear 2 ('bad mood in the mornings') - (het) badhuis click to hear ('bathhouse') - (het) stadhuis click to hear 2 3 4 5 6 ('city hall')
EH  - hèhè click to hear 2 can be said after finishing some tiring or boring work, but also when you're annoyed that someone says something that you think is stupid or obvious
EEH  - (de) B.H. click to hear 2 ('bra' - the word is sometimes written as 'beha'  but 'beeha'  would be better phonetically for the Dutch because the E in the prefix BE-  is always pronounced as 'voiceless, unstressed E' click to hear (the 'schwa')
- tussen twee haakjes click to hear 2 ('between [two] parentheses') - tenzij je 'n beter idee hebt click to hear 2 3 ('unless you have a better idea') - twee halve waarheden click to hear ('two half-truths)
E‑uhH  - gehakt click to hear ('ground meat') - gehaast click to hear 2 3 ('hurried') - geheel click to hear ('entirely, completely') - [(het)] geheim click to hear 2 ('secret') - geheugen click to hear 2 3 ('memory' - the brain function) - ik heb geholpen click to hear 2 ('I have helped, assisted') - ik ben geholpen click to hear 2 ('I was helped, I have been helped, I was attended to') ‑>> - ik had gehoopt click to hear ('I had hoped, I was hoping') - gehoor click to hear ('the sense of hearing' // 'audience') - gehoorzaam click to hear 2 3 ('obedient') - gehucht click to hear 2 ('hamlet') - gehuwd click to hear 2 ('married') - (de) Duitse Herder click to hear 2 ('German Shepherd' - a dog breed) - de Heer click to hear 2 3 ('the Lord' - God) - Ze hielp hem ontsnappen click to hear 2 3 ('She helped him escape') - (de) behoefte click to hear ('need for, want of') - om de hoek click to hear 2 3 ('around the corner') - behouden click to hear 2 3 ('to keep, hold on to, retain, conserve') - (het) tehuis click to hear 2 ('a home' for people needing extra or special care)
EIH  - keihard click to hear 2 3 ('hard, powerful, high-energy, with much effort' // 'very loud')
FH  - afhangen van click to hear 2 3 ('to depend, depend on') ‑>> - afhankelijk click to hear / afhankelijke click to hear ('dependent') - onafhankelijk click to hear ('independent') - onafhankelijkheid click to hear ('independence') - afhalen click to hear 2 (' to pick up, collect' // 'to strip off, remove covers' - beds, vegetables) - Wil je kaas of ham op je brood? click to hear ('Would you like cheese or ham on your bread?') - of heb ik dat verkeerd? click to hear 2 3 ('or am I wrong about that?') - (de) liefhebber click to hear 2 ('lover of things, enthusiast') - Wolfheze click to hear 2 (a town) - scheef houden click to hear 2 ('to hold at an angle, to tilt')
GH  - (de) waaghals click to hear 2 ('daredevil') - hooghartig click to hear 2 ('haughty, arrogant') - Hooghaarlemmerdijks click to hear ('hypercorrect Dutch') - Willighagen click to hear 2 (a family name) - Laaghalen click to hear 2 3 4 5 (a village) - leeghalen click to hear 2 3 ('to empty') - Hooghalen click to hear 2 3 (a village) - gezaghebbend click to hear ('authoritative') - (de) gekkigheid click to hear 2 3 ('silliness, craziness') - (de) veiligheid click to hear 2 3 ('safety, security') - (de) narigheid click to hear 2 3 ('misery, woe, trouble') - in de gauwigheid click to hear ('in the rush of things, because I had to act quickly') - Hooghoudt click to hear 2 3 (a family name) - Biddinghuizen click to hear (a village) - (de) yoghurt click to hear 2 ('yogurt')
G not pronounced: - Veghel click to hear (a town) - Vught click to hear (a town)
Some Dutch names end in GH - that H at the end is usually not pronounced: - Van Gogh click to hear 2 (a family name) - Vincent van Gogh click to hear 2 3 4 5 (famous Dutch painter, 1853-1890) - Jan Adriaansz Leeghwater click to hear 2 (a prominent 17th Century land reclamation engineer) - Hendrik Sorgh click to hear 2 3 (Dutch painter, 1610-1670)
IH  - (de) taaiheid click to hear ('toughness') - this I is a consonant-I, pronounced as Dutch J, English consonant-Y
IEH  - (de) combinatiehaak click to hear ('combination square' - carpentry) - ruzie hebben click to hear 2 3 ('~to be quarreling') ‑>> - Wie heeft er gewonnen? click to hear ('Who won?') ‑>> - driehoeken click to hear ('triangles')
IJH  - hij heeft click to hear 2 ('he has') - (de) blijheid click to hear 2 ('happiness, being cheerful') - (de) vrijheid click to hear 2 ('freedom, liberty') - vrijheid blijheid click to hear 2 ('freedom brings along, creates happiness')
In the name of the village of Wijhe click to hear H is pronounced as Consonant Y (Dutch J)
also hear EI above
JH  In (de) taaiheid click to hear ('toughness') - I is a consonant-I, pronounced as Dutch J, English Consonant-Y
In the name of the village of Wijhe click to hear H is pronounced as Consonant Y (Dutch J)
KH  - (de) jakhals click to hear 2 ('jackall') - (de) boekhandel click to hear 2 ('bookstore') - werkhandschoenen click to hear ('work gloves') - (de) verstekhaak click to hear 2 ('45° marking tool' - carpentry) - (de) sprinkhaan click to hear 2 3 ('locust, grasshopper') - "gek hè" click to hear 2 ('crazy, isn't it?') - (de) gelijkheid click to hear 2 3 ('equality') ‑>> - (de) werkelijkheid click to hear 2 ('reality') - (de) kinkhoest click to hear 2 ('whooping cough') - (het) kerkhof click to hear 2 ('graveyard') - (de) waakhond click to hear 2 ('guard dog') - (de) eekhoorn click to hear 2 ('squirrel') - (de) boekhouder click to hear 2 ('bookkeeper') - (het) pakhuis click to hear ('warehouse, storehouse') - plural: pakhuizen click to hear 2 - (het) spookhuis click to hear 2 3 ('haunted house' - fairground) - Enkhuizen click to hear 2 (a town)
LH  - (het) Walhalla click to hear 2 3 4 ('heaven, the afterlife' in Germanic mythology) - winkelhaken click to hear ('carpenter's squares') - kielhalen click to hear 2 ('to keelhaul') - Rem Koolhaas click to hear (an architect) - welhaast click to hear 2 3 ('almost, well nigh' - old-fashioned) - Wilhelmina click to hear (a girls' name) - snelheden click to hear 2 3 ('speeds') - hoeveelheden click to hear 2 ('amounts') - (de) snelheid click to hear 2 ('speed') - (de) veelheid click to hear (['muchness'] - 'large amount, large number of') - (de) hoeveelheid click to hear ('amount') - (de) hondsdolheid click to hear ([dogs' craziness] - 'rabies') - koolhydraten click to hear 2 3 ('carbohydrates') - (het) doolhof click to hear ('maze, labyrinth') - volhouden click to hear 2 ('to persevere, carry on, insist') - (het) vogelhuisje click to hear 2 ('birds feeder')
MH  - ademhalen click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('to breathe') - (de) ademhaling click to hear 2 ('breath, breathing') - diep ademhalen click to hear ('to breathe deeply') - stom hè? click to hear 2 3 ('stupid, isn't it?') - (de) omhelzing click to hear 2 3 ('embrace, hug') - (de) remhendel click to hear 2 ('brake lever') - omheen click to hear ('~around') - Bloemhof click to hear 2 (a town in South Africa) - omhoog click to hear 2 3 ('up' - direction) - (de) stamhouder click to hear (oldest son of the oldest son etc, 'carrying the family name') - Wormhoudt click to hear (a town in France) - omhullen click to hear 2 ('to envelop,' cover from all sides)
NH  - 'n half click to hear / 'n halve click to hear ('a half, half a') - Ten Hag click to hear (a family name) - van harte! click to hear 2 ([from the heart] - 'sincerely, heartfelt') - aanhalingstekens click to hear ('quote marks:' "...") - Den Haag click to hear 2 (The Hague - a major city) - (de) beunhaas click to hear 2 3 4 ('unlicensed and/or tax-evading construction worker') - Den Helder click to hear 2 (a town) - Wat 'n herrie! click to hear 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ('such a lot of noise!') - zin hebben click to hear 2 ('to be useful,' - to make sense) - 'n heleboel click to hear 2 ('very much, very many, a lot') - 'n heel verhaal click to hear 2 3 ('quite a long story') - mijn hemel! click to hear ([my -] 'good heavens!') - (de) oneffenheid click to hear 2 ('unevenness, irregularity' - a bump in the road or also figuratively, an 'irregularity, a roughness,' a problem) - (de) eenheid click to hear 2 ('unit' // 'unity') - (de) schoonheid click to hear 2 ('beauty') - (het) onheil click to hear 2 3 ('disaster, doom,' bad things) - Van den Heuvel click to hear 2 (a family name) - het Binnenhof click to hear 2 (['the Inner Court'] - the area of the Dutch parliamentary buildings] - Van Holland click to hear 2 (a family name) - (de) wanhoop click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('despair') - (de) puinhoop click to hear 2 3 (literally, 'a heap of rubble' but usually figuratively 'a mess, a failure') - (de) eenhoorn click to hear 2 ('unicorn') - rayonhoofden click to hear ('regional chiefs') - Zestienhoven click to hear (the Rotterdam airport) - van hout click to hear ('wooden,' '[made] of wood') - Aerdenhout click to hear 2 (a town) - (de) inhoud click to hear ('contents' // 'table of contents') - onhoudbaar click to hear 2 3 ('cannot be held' - literally or figuratively) - ver van huis click to hear 2 ('far from home') - (het) ziekenhuis click to hear 2 ('hospital') - (het) seinhuis click to hear ('signals cabin, signals tower')
H not pronounced: - Arnhem click to hear (a city)
OH  - Goh click to hear 2 ('Gee' - mild surprise)
OOH  - Johan click to hear (a boys' name) - Johanna click to hear 2 (a girls' name) - Johannes click to hear 2 (a boys' name, a gospel writer) - Johannesburg click to hear (a city in South Africa) - Job Cohen click to hear 2 (a politician) - (de) alcohol click to hear 2 ('alcohol')
OEH  - doe-het-zelf click to hear ('DIY, do-it-yourself') - hoe hou je 't uit? click to hear 2 3 4 ('how can you stand it?')
OUH  OU see and hear AU above
PH  PH pronounced as F is rare in modern Dutch: just in a few mostly old names
"F" - Philip click to hear (a boys' name) - Philips click to hear (a family name and an electronics company) - Sint-Philipsland click to hear (a former island in the province of Zeeland click to hear 2 - Sophie click to hear (a girls' name) - Zutphen click to hear 2 3 (a town) - Alphen aan de(n) Rijn click to hear 2 (a town) - Orpheus click to hear 2 (Greek mythological figure)
"P-H" - ophangen click to hear ('to hang' - items or criminals) - ophalen click to hear is literally 'to haul up,' usually 'to raise, lift up, bring up' - but it can also mean something like 'to collect, pick up' - (de) ophaalbrug click to hear 2 ('drawbridge') - (de) ophef click to hear ('fuss, ado, commotion') - (de) opheffing click to hear ('closing down, discontinuing') - (de) schaapherder click to hear ('shepherd' - [sheep-herder]) - Opheusden click to hear (a town) - Schiphol click to hear (Amsterdam airport) - ophouden click to hear 2 ('to stop, end, come to an end - (het) koophuis click to hear 2 ('house owned by occupants' // house for sale') - (het) rasphuis click to hear 2 (16th/17th Century poorhouse or place of punishment where people ground or pulped wood)
RH  - anderhalf click to hear 2 ('1½ - one-and-a-half') - (de) kleerhanger click to hear ('clothes hanger') - verharden click to hear 2 3 ('to become harder' - less soft, less flexible - also figuratively, 'less tolerant') - (het) verhaal click to hear 2 ('story') - (het) verhaaltje click to hear 2 3 4 ('little story') - verhalen click to hear ('stories' // 'to relate, tell') - (het) overhemd click to hear ('shirt, dress shirt') - waarheen? click to hear 2 ('which way?' - which direction?) - daarheen! click to hear 2 3 ('that way!') - ver heen click to hear 2 ('far gone') - hierheen! click to hear 2 3 ('this way!') - de Mookerhei click to hear (area in the East of The Netherlands, 1574 historical battle) - de waarheid click to hear ('the truth') - (de) waarheid click to hear 2 ('truth') ‑>> - onwaarheden click to hear ("untruths," 'lies') - (de) meerderheid click to hear 2 ('majority') - (de) minderheid click to hear 2 3 ('minority') - minderheden click to hear 2 ('minorities') ‑>> - verhit click to hear ('heated') - (het) warhoofd click to hear 2 ('muddlehead,' confused person) - (het) voorhoofd click to hear 2 ('forehead, brow') - (de) verhoging click to hear ('elevation' // "temperature," 'light fever') - (de) vingerhoed click to hear (['finger-hat'] - 'thimble') - (de) voorhoede click to hear 2 3 ('vanguard') ‑>> - (de) achterhoede click to hear 2 ('rearguard') - (het) onderhoud click to hear 2 ('maintenance' // 'serious conversation') - (het) timmerhout click to hear ('wood for carpentry') - (de) verhouding click to hear ('relationship') // 'relation, proportion') - (de) verhuur click to hear ('renting out') - verhuren click to hear 2 ('to rent out') - naar huis click to hear 2 ('towards home, homeward') - (het) huurhuis click to hear ('rented house') - verhuizen click to hear 2 3 (moving to another place or house to live) ‑>>
SH  - (de) bushalte click to hear ('bus stop') - (het) washandje click to hear ('wash cloth') - (de) grashark click to hear ('grass rake') - (de) voorzittershamer click to hear ('chairperson's' hammer') - (de) maatjesharing click to hear 2 ('young, "virgin" herring' - to eat) - (de) fietshelm click to hear ('bicycle helmet') - plural: - fietshelmen click to hear 2 - (de) versnellingshendel click to hear 2 3 ('gears shift lever') - (de) wijsheid click to hear 2 3 ('wisdom') - de mensheid click to hear 2 ('mankind, humankind') - (de) machteloosheid click to hear 2 3 ('powerlessness, helplessness, impotence') - dit huis hier click to hear ('this house here') - wie is hij? click to hear 2 ('who is he?') - is hij aan de beurt? click to hear 2 3 4 ('is it his turn?') - (het) gerechtshof click to hear 2 ('court of justice') - (het) bushokje click to hear ('bus stop shelter') - (de) voorhoofdsholte click to hear ([brow cavity] - 'sinus') - (de) molshoop click to hear 2 3 ('mole [heap] hill') - (de) neushoorn click to hear 2 ([nose-horn] - 'rhino, rhinoceros') - [(het)] huishouden click to hear 2 3 4 ('household' // 'running a household' // 'to rampage') - (het) kruishout click to hear (marking tool - carpentry) - 't is hun geld click to hear ('it's their [own] money') - Lucas Hugensz. click to hear 2 (painter, 1494-1533 - also known as: Lucas van Leyden click to
   hear) - buitenshuis click to hear 2 ('outdoors' [outside the house]) - het Mauritshuis click to hear 2 (art museum in The Hague) - Paushuize click to hear 2 (a historical building in the city of Utrecht click to hear 2 3)
TH  H after T, H in TH is often not pronounced:
- Thailand click to hear - (de) catharsis click to hear ('catharsis') - Martha click to hear (a girls' name) - (de) euthanasie click to hear 2 3 4 5 ('euthanasia') - Balthasar click to hear 2 (a boys' name) - (de) thermosflessen click to hear ('thermos bottles') - thermometers click to hear 2 ('thermometers') - (de) thee click to hear ('tea') - Thea click to hear (girls' name) - theedoeken click to hear ('dishtowels') - (de) bibliotheek click to hear ('library') - (de) apotheek click to hear 2 ('pharmacy') - (de) apotheker click to hear 2 3 ('pharmacist') - (de) hypotheek click to hear ('mortgage') - de Theems click to hear (the river Thames) - (het) thema click to hear ('theme') - Theo click to hear (a boys' name) - (de) theorie click to hear 2 ('theory') - (de) therapie click to hear ('therapy') - (de) hypothese click to hear ('hypothesis') - synthetisch click to hear ('synthetic') - theoloog / theïne click to hear ('theologist / theine' = caffeine) - (de) mythe click to hear ('mythe') - (het) atheneum click to hear 2 (secondary school type) - homeopathisch click to hear ('homeopathic') - (het) lithium click to hear ('lithium,' an element) - Thijs click to hear (a boys' name) - (de) triathlon click to hear ('a swimming/running/bicycling contest') - (de) marathon click to hear 2 ('a running contest') - (de) methode click to hear 2 ('method') - Tholen click to hear (a former island in the province of Zeeland click to hear 2) - katholiek click to hear 2 ('catholic' - Roman) - Thomas click to hear (a boys' name) - Posthumus click to hear 2 (a family name) - Arthur click to hear 2 (a boys' name) - thuis click to hear ('at home') ‑>> - Prometheus click to hear 2 (Greek mythological figure) - Agaath click to hear 2 (a girls' name) - Ageeth click to hear 2 (a girls' name) - Elizabeth click to hear (a girls' name) - Esther click to hear (a girls' name) - Judith click to hear 2 (a girls' name)
Compare: - thans/tand click to hear ('at present/tooth') - thee/teen click to hear ('tea/toe') - ether/eter click to hear ('ether/eater')
But ... Compound Words:
next to TH's with silent H Dutch has many compound words connecting between T and H and then H is not silent - listen:
- Goethals click to hear (a family name) - (de) groothandel click to hear 2 ('wholesale') - (de) kunsthars click to hear 2 ('synthetic resin' - old word for 'plastic') - witheet click to hear 2 ([white-] 'red-hot') - (de) dichtheid click to hear ('density') - (de) bevolkingsdichtheid click to hear 2 ('population density') - (de) botheid click to hear ('rudeness') - (de) grootheid click to hear 2 [grandness] - 'greatness, eminence, majesty') - (de) apartheid click to hear 2 ('~segregation' - the former racist inequality system in South Africa) - (de) vluchtheuvel click to hear ('traffic island' [hill of refuge]) - (het) schoothondje click to hear 2 ('lapdog') - onthoofden click to hear 2 3 ('to decapitate') - (de) mesthoop click to hear 2 3 ('dungheap, dunghill') - Van Beethoven click to hear (German composer) - Bilthoven click to hear (a town) - (de) eethoek click to hear 2 ('dining area') - rechthoekig click to hear 2 / rechthoekige click to hear 2 ('rectangular') - 't uithouden click to hear 2 3) ('to endure, bear,' "stand") ‑>> - onthouden click to hear 2 3 ('to remember' // 'to withhold, not give' // 'to abstain from, stay away from something') ‑>> - (de) geheelonthouder click to hear 2 ('teetotaler') - onthoudingsverschijselen click to hear 2 ('withdrawal symptoms') - vasthouden click to hear 2 ('holding on to something, to grip firmly') ‑>> - (de) granaathuls click to hear 2 ('grenade casing' - ordinance) - (het) buurthuis click to hear 2 3 4 ('~community center' ['neighborhood house'])
A simple rule is that H in TH as the first or last letters of a word will be silent, but that of course does not cover all cases.
UH  - U hebt click to hear ('you have' - polite 'you') - U heeft click to hear 2 3 ('you have' - polite 'you')
(U hebt  is not wrong, but I prefer U heeft)
WH  - (de) klauwhamer click to hear ('clawhammer') - (het) bouwhout click to hear ('construction wood' - a word I made up) - (de) ruwheid click to hear ('roughness')
XH  - MaxHavelaar click to hear (famous 1860 novel by Multatuli click to hear 2 (Latin: 'I have carried, suffered much') - the pen name of Eduard Douwes Dekker click to hear 2 ‑>>

Major Exceptions to the Phonetic Spelling of Dutch:
- Page 1:   een   -IG   -ISCH   -LIJK  
- Page 2:   -B   -D   SCHR   -TIE   UW   WR

Hear the Dutch Letters in Hundreds of Words:
 AU/OU  CH  E  EI/IJ  EU  F  G  H  L  OE  SCH  U  UI  W  X  Y

'Master Lists' of Dutch words: Dutch to English - English to Dutch

'Basic' Dutch Words - Pictures Dictionary - Words by Subject - Easy Dutch - Phrases and Conversation Templates - Names - Place Names - verbs

email - Copyright © Marco Schuffelen 2022. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed, or hotlinked to.
Gij zult niet stelen click to hear 'Thou shalt not steal'