How to pronounce hi in American English

IPA /haɪ/ Syllables 1 · hahy Stress 1st syllable

HAHY

Start here

Americans pronounce hi as HAHY (/haɪ/).

Now you try.

Record yourself saying "hi" and play it back. The mic stays on your device — nothing's uploaded.

Ready when you are

Tap the mic to start

Preview your accent profile

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Sounds

75%

Clarity

68%

Stress

78%

Intonation

65%

Fluency

62%

Overall assessment

Our AI coach listens to your recording and grades 5 dimensions of pronunciation — then tells you exactly what to fix next.

72% Noticeable accent

Unlock the full report in the app

In real conversation

Hear "hi" in the wild.

Click any sentence to see the full breakdown — every link, every reduction, every flap-T.

"Hi, how are you?"

HAHY HOW er yoo

Questions

Questions people ask about this.

Is the American pronunciation of "hi" different from British English?

American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "HAHY" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.

Now you try.

Get your accent profile and 5-axes assessment.

Overall assessment

Hear "hi" in the wild.

Words that work the same way.

Questions people ask about this.

Stop reading about "hi". Start saying it.