H-Dropping
When H disappears in pronouns
What is it?
In connected speech, the /h/ sound is often dropped from unstressed pronouns and auxiliaries: him, her, his, he, has, have, had.
tell him
→
/tɛl hɪm/
→
[tɛl ɪm]
This is why "tell him" sounds like "tell im" and "give her" sounds like "give er".
When does it happen?
H-dropping occurs when:
- Word is unstressed — not emphasized in the sentence
- Not sentence-initial — "He said..." keeps the /h/
**Note:** This only applies to function words (him, her, his, he, has, have, had). Content words like "house" or "happy" always keep their /h/.
Examples
Pronouns: him, her, his, he
| Phrase | Phonemic | Phonetic |
|---|
| tell him | /tɛl hɪm/ | [tɛl ɪm] |
| give her | /ɡɪv hɜr/ | [ɡɪv ɚ] |
| did he | /dɪd hi/ | [dɪd i] |
| in his | /ɪn hɪz/ | [ɪn ɪz] |
Auxiliaries: have, has, had
| Phrase | Phonemic | Phonetic |
|---|
| I have | /aɪ hæv/ | [aɪ əv] |
| could have | /kʊd hæv/ | [kʊd əv] |
Exceptions
- Sentence-initial: "He said..." — H is pronounced at the start of a sentence
- Emphatic: "Tell HIM, not her!" — H is pronounced when stressed for emphasis
- Careful speech: In formal contexts, speakers may retain the /h/