90 words starting with H

• habit noun

  something you do regularly, often without thinking

  Brushing your teeth before bed is a good habit.

  Like routine, practice

• habitat noun

  the natural home of a plant or animal

  The red panda’s habitat is the cool bamboo forests of the Himalaya.

  Like home, environment

• hair noun

  the thin threads that grow on the head and body

  She tied her long hair back before the race.

• half noun

  one of two equal parts of something

  I cut the apple in two and gave half to my brother.

• halfway adverb

  at the middle point between two places or times

  We stopped for tea halfway between Kathmandu and Pokhara.

  Like midway

• hall noun

  a large room for meetings or events; a passage inside a building

  The whole school gathered in the hall for the prize-giving.

• hand noun

  the part at the end of your arm, with fingers and a thumb

  Raise your hand if you know the answer.

• handle verb

  to deal with a situation or problem; to hold or touch with your hands

  She handled the difficult question calmly.

  Like manage, deal with

• handout noun

  a printed sheet of information given to people in a class or meeting

  The teacher gave everyone a handout with the steps of the experiment.

  Like sheet, leaflet

• hang verb

  to fix something by its top so the rest is free and can swing

  We hang our coats on hooks by the classroom door.

  Like suspend, dangle

• happen verb

  to take place, often without being planned

  What happened at school today that made everyone so excited?

  Like occur, take place

• happiness noun

  the feeling of being glad and pleased

  The new puppy brought great happiness to the family.

  Like joy, gladness, delight

• happy adjective

  feeling or showing pleasure

  The children were happy when the holiday began.

  Like glad, cheerful

• harbor noun

  an area of water near land where ships stay safely

  The fishing boats returned to the harbor at sunset.

  Like port

• hard adjective

  difficult to do or understand; firm and not soft

  The math test was hard, but I finished every question.

  Like difficult, tough, firm

• hardly adverb

  almost not; only just

  I could hardly see the road through the thick fog.

  Like barely, scarcely

• harm noun

  damage or injury

  Too much sun can cause harm to your skin.

  Like damage, injury

• harvest noun

  the time of gathering crops; the crops gathered

  Families work together during the rice harvest in autumn.

  Like crop, yield, gathering

• hat noun

  a covering for the head

  Wear a hat to protect your face from the sun.

• hate verb

  to dislike someone or something very much

  My brother hates waking up early on cold mornings.

  Like detest, loathe, dislike

• hawk noun

  a bird with sharp claws and a hooked beak that hunts small animals

  A hawk circled high above the field, looking for mice.

• head noun

  the part of the body above the neck, with the brain, eyes and mouth

  She wore a warm hat on her head in the cold wind.

• headquarter verb

  to have or place the main office of an organization in a place

  The company is headquartered in Kathmandu but has offices across Nepal.

  Like base

• health noun

  the condition of your body and mind, especially being free from illness

  Eating fruit and vegetables is good for your health.

  Like wellness

• healthy adjective

  physically strong and not ill; good for your body

  Eating fruit and vegetables every day helps keep you healthy.

  Like well, fit, nutritious

• hear verb

  to notice sounds with your ears

  Can you hear the birds singing outside the window?

• heart noun

  the organ in the chest that pumps blood around the body

  Your heart beats faster when you run.

• heat noun

  the quality of being hot; warmth

  The heat from the stove dried our wet socks.

  Like warmth, hotness

• heavily adverb

  to a great amount or degree; with a lot of weight or force

  It rained heavily all night, and the river was much higher in the morning.

  Like greatly, hard

• heavy adjective

  weighing a lot

  This box of books is too heavy for me to lift.

  Like weighty, hefty

• hedge noun

  a row of bushes planted close together to form a fence

  A neat hedge separates our garden from the road.

• height noun

  the distance from the bottom to the top of someone or something

  The nurse measured my height and found I had grown five centimeters.

  Like tallness, stature

• helix noun

  a spiral shape, like a spring or a corkscrew

  A DNA molecule is shaped like a twisted double helix.

  Like spiral, coil

• hell noun

  a place of punishment after death in some religions

  In some old stories, hell is described as a place of fire.

• help verb

  to make it easier for someone to do something

  Can you help me carry these books to the library?

  Like assist, aid, support

• helpful adjective

  useful, or willing to assist others

  The librarian was very helpful when I was looking for a book.

  Like useful, kind

• hence adverb

  for this reason; as a result

  The road was blocked by a landslide; hence we were late.

  Like therefore, so

• hepatitis noun

  a disease in which the liver becomes swollen and sore

  Clean water and vaccines help protect people from hepatitis.

• herbicide noun

  a chemical used to kill unwanted plants such as weeds

  The farmer sprayed a herbicide to stop weeds growing among the corn.

  Like weedkiller

• here adverb

  in or at this place

  Please wait here while I go and buy the tickets.

• hero noun

  a person admired for bravery or great achievements; the main character in a story

  The mountain guide was treated as a hero after he rescued a lost trekker.

  Like champion, idol

• hesitate verb

  to pause before doing or saying something because you are unsure

  Don’t hesitate to ask if you need help with your homework.

  Like pause, waver

• hide verb

  to put something where others cannot see or find it

  The squirrel hid nuts under the leaves for the winter.

  Like conceal

• hierarchy noun

  a system in which people or things are arranged in levels from highest to lowest

  In the army’s hierarchy, a general is above a captain.

  Like ranking, order, chain of command

• high adjective

  far above the ground; large in amount or level

  Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth.

  Like tall, lofty, elevated

• highlight verb

  to mark text with bright color; to draw attention to something important

  Highlight the key words in yellow so you can find them easily.

  Like mark, emphasize

• highly adverb

  very or to a great degree

  Our science teacher is highly respected by all the students.

  Like very, greatly, extremely

• hill noun

  an area of land higher than the land around it, smaller than a mountain

  We walked up the hill to see the sunrise.

• hint noun

  a small piece of help that makes something easier to guess

  The teacher gave us a hint: the answer begins with “B.”

  Like clue, tip

• hip noun

  the part of the body on each side where the leg joins the top of the body

  She put her hands on her hips and laughed at the joke.

• hire verb

  to give someone a job; to pay to use something for a short time

  We hired a jeep to take us to the village in the hills.

  Like employ, rent

• historian noun

  a person who studies and writes about the past

  The historian explained how the old palace was built.

• historic adjective

  important in history or likely to be remembered

  The first climb of Everest in 1953 was a historic event.

  Like momentous, landmark

• historical adjective

  about history or events in the past

  Bhaktapur has many historical buildings from the time of the Malla kings.

• historically adverb

  in the past, as records of earlier times show

  Historically, Bhaktapur was an important stop on the trade route to Tibet.

  Like in the past

• history noun

  the study of past events; all the events of the past

  In history class we learned how the Malla kings built the palaces in Patan.

  Like past

• hit verb

  to touch something quickly and hard

  She hit the ball over the net.

  Like strike, knock

• hold verb

  to have something in your hands or arms

  Hold the baby bird gently so it does not get hurt.

  Like grip, carry, grasp

• holder noun

  a person who owns something; a thing that holds something

  Only ticket holders may enter the hall.

  Like owner; stand, case

• hole noun

  an empty space or opening in something

  There is a hole in my sock, so my toe sticks out.

  Like gap, opening

• holiday noun

  a day when people do not go to work or school, often for a festival

  Schools close for a long holiday during Dashain.

  Like vacation

• home noun

  the place where you live with your family

  After the long trip, it felt good to be home again.

  Like house, residence

• homework noun

  school work that students do at home

  I finished my math homework before dinner so I could watch the match.

  Like assignment

• honest adjective

  always telling the truth and not cheating or stealing

  An honest shopkeeper returned the extra money I gave him.

  Like truthful, sincere

• honor noun

  great respect; something that makes you proud

  It was an honor to meet the famous mountain climber.

  Like respect, privilege

• hook noun

  a curved piece of metal for hanging or catching things

  Hang your coat on the hook behind the door.

  Like peg

• hope verb

  to want something to happen and think that it might

  I hope it does not rain on the day of our picnic.

  Like wish

• hopefully adverb

  it is hoped that; in a hoping way

  Hopefully the rain will stop before the picnic.

• horizon noun

  the line where the land or sea seems to meet the sky

  We watched the sun sink below the horizon over the lake.

• horizontal adjective

  flat and level, parallel to the ground

  Draw a horizontal line across the middle of the page.

  Like level, flat

• hormone noun

  a chemical made in the body that travels in the blood and controls growth and other processes

  Growth hormone, made in a small gland in the brain, helps children grow taller.

• horrible adjective

  very unpleasant or bad

  The medicine had a horrible taste.

  Like awful, terrible, dreadful

• horse noun

  a large animal with hooves that people ride or use to pull things

  In Mustang, people still travel by horse on the mountain paths.

• hospital noun

  a building where sick or injured people are cared for by doctors and nurses

  He went to the hospital when he broke his arm playing football.

• host noun

  a person who invites guests and looks after them

  Our host served us tea and biscuits when we arrived.

• hot adjective

  having a high temperature

  Be careful, the tea is very hot.

• hotel noun

  a building where people pay to sleep and eat when traveling

  We stayed in a small hotel near the lake in Pokhara.

  Like inn, lodge

• hour noun

  a period of sixty minutes

  The bus ride from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur takes about an hour.

• house noun

  a building where people live

  Their house has a flat roof where they dry chilies.

  Like home, dwelling

• household noun

  all the people who live together in one home

  Every household in the village has a small vegetable garden.

  Like family, home

• huge adjective

  extremely large

  An elephant is a huge animal.

  Like enormous, giant, massive

• human noun

  a person, not an animal or machine

  Humans and chimpanzees share many features.

  Like person

• humor noun

  the quality of being funny; the ability to laugh at things

  My grandfather has a great sense of humor.

  Like wit, comedy

• hunger noun

  the feeling of needing food

  After the long walk, our hunger grew stronger.

  Like appetite

• hunt verb

  to chase and catch animals for food; to search hard for something

  Owls hunt mice and other small animals in the fields at night.

  Like prey on

• hurry verb

  to move or act quickly because there is little time

  We hurried to the station so we wouldn’t miss the bus.

  Like rush, hasten

• hurt verb

  to cause pain or injury to someone or a part of the body

  I hurt my knee when I slipped on the wet stairs.

  Like injure, harm

• husband noun

  the man a woman is married to

  My aunt and her husband run a small shop in Bhaktapur.

• hydrogen noun

  the lightest chemical element, a gas with no color that burns easily

  Every molecule of water contains two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen.

• hypothesis noun

  an idea that can be tested to see if it is true

  Our hypothesis is that plants grow faster with more light.

  Like educated guess