Verbs That Start With H – List of Common, Positive, and Action Words

The letter H holds a special place in the English language, bringing with it a collection of verbs that inspire hope, healing, and helpfulness. From simple, everyday actions like hold and hear to uplifting verbs such as heal, honor, and help, verbs that start with H add depth, positivity, and power to our communication. 

Verbs are the true drivers of sentences, turning nouns into action and meaning, and expanding your vocabulary with verbs that start with H can greatly enrich both spoken and written expression. Whether you’re a student, writer, language learner, or just someone who loves words, this guide to impactful verbs beginning with H will help you discover new ways to express yourself with clarity, confidence, and creativity.

List of Verbs That Start With H

The English language offers a wide range of verbs beginning with the letter H, many of which are commonly used in everyday communication. These verbs cover simple actions like hold, hug, and handle, as well as more powerful and impactful ones such as heal, honor, and highlight. Learning and practicing these verbs not only expands your vocabulary but also makes your writing and speaking more expressive. Whether you’re preparing for a word game, improving your English skills, or looking for the perfect action word to add life to your sentences, this list of verbs starting with H will serve as a helpful resource.

Common Verbs Starting With H 

1. Have – to own or possess something.
   Example: I have a new book. 
2. Hear – to perceive sound with the ears.
   Example: Can you hear the music?
3. Help – to assist someone.
   Example: She will help me with homework. 
4. Hold – to grasp or carry something.
   Example: Please hold my bag. 
5. Hope – to wish for something to happen.
   Example: I hope you feel better soon. 
6. Hit – to strike something.
   Example: He hit the ball hard. 
7. Hide – to put something out of sight.
   Example: They hide gifts under the bed. 
8. Happen – to take place or occur.
   Example: What will happen next? 
9. Hurt – to cause pain.
   Example: Be careful, you might hurt yourself. 
10. Hang – to suspend something.
    Example: Let’s hang the picture on the wall. 
11. Hope – to look forward with desire.
    Example: We hope for good weather. 
12. Hire – to employ someone.
    Example: The company plans to hire more staff. 
13. Head – to move toward a direction.
    Example: We will head north tomorrow. 
14. Handle – to manage or control.
    Example: She can handle the situation well. 
15. Host – to entertain guests.
    Example: They will host a dinner party.

Positive Verbs Starting With H

Verb	Meaning	Example
Heal	to restore health	Time will heal old wounds.
Honor	to show respect	We honor our teachers for their guidance.
Help	to support or assist	He always tries to help his friends.
Hug	to embrace warmly	She hugged her child tightly.
Hope	to look forward positively	They hope for a brighter future.
Highlight	to emphasize or make stand out	The guide highlighted the best spots in town.
Host	to welcome others	They hosted a wonderful party.
Heartening	to encourage or uplift	His words heartened the entire team.
Harvest	to gather with gratitude	Farmers harvest crops in autumn.
Humor	to entertain or amuse	He humored the kids with funny stories.
Helpfulness	to aid generously	She always helps those in need.
Harmonize	to create balance or agreement	The choir harmonized beautifully.
Heighten	to increase positively	Meditation can heighten awareness.
Honorify	to dignify or respect	The ceremony honorified his contribution.
Heal up	to recover completely	She will heal up after rest.

Action Verbs Starting With H

1. Hit – to strike.
   Example: He hit the target perfectly. 
2. Hold – to grasp.
   Example: She held the baby gently. 
3. Hurry – to move quickly.
   Example: We must hurry to catch the train. 
4. Hop – to jump lightly.
   Example: The frog hopped across the pond. 
5. Handle – to manage.
   Example: He handled the tools with care. 
6. Haul – to pull or drag something.
   Example: They hauled the heavy box upstairs. 
7. Hunt – to chase or capture.
   Example: The cat hunts mice at night. 
8. Hack – to cut roughly.
   Example: He hacked the branches with an axe. 
9. Hammer – to strike with a hammer.
   Example: She hammered the nail into the wall. 
10. Harness – to control or utilize.
    Example: Engineers harness solar power. 
11. Hoist – to lift up.
    Example:  Sailors hoist the sails. 
12. Hurl – to throw with force.
    Example: He hurled the ball across the field. 
13. Harvest – to gather crops.
    Example:  Farmers harvest wheat in summer. 
14. Hike – to walk long distances.
    Example: They love to hike in the mountains. 
15. Head – to move toward a place.
    Example: We headed home after the party.

Regular Verbs That Start With H

1. Hammer → hammered – to strike with a hammer.
   Example: He hammered the wood pieces together. 
2. Haul → hauled – to drag or carry.
   Example: She hauled the bag upstairs. 
3. Handle → handled – to manage.
   Example: He handled the case well. 
4. Harvest → harvested – to gather crops.
   Example: They harvested the grapes in autumn. 
5. Hug → hugged – to embrace.
   Example: She hugged her best friend tightly. 
6. Hunt → hunted – to chase.
   Example: The lion hunted its prey. 
7. Hurry → hurried – to rush.
   Example: We hurried to the station. 
8. Hike → hiked – to walk long distances.
   Example: They hiked through the forest. 
9. Host → hosted – to entertain.
   Example: They hosted a wedding party. 
10. Hope → hoped – to wish.
    Example: I hoped for success. 
11. Help → helped – to assist.
    Example: She helped her brother with homework. 
12. Head → headed – to move toward.
    Example: We headed back home. 
13. Halt → halted – to stop suddenly.
    Example: The car halted at the signal. 
14. Heal → healed – to recover.
    Example: The wound healed quickly. 
15. Highlight → highlighted – to emphasize.
    Example: The teacher highlighted important points.

Irregular Verbs Starting With H

1. Have → had – to own or possess.
   Example: I had a bicycle when I was young. 
2. Hear → heard – to perceive sound.
   Example: She heard a strange noise outside. 
3. Hold → held – to grasp or carry.
   Example: He held her hand tightly. 
4. Hide → hid/hidden – to put out of sight.
   Example: The treasure was hidden under the tree. 
5. Hit → hit – to strike.
   Example: The player hit the ball out of the park. 
6. Hurt → hurt – to cause pain.
   Example: She accidentally hurt her finger. 
7. Hang → hung/hanged – to suspend.
   Example: They hung the painting in the gallery. 
8. Hew → hewed/hewn – to chop or cut.
   Example: The workers hewed stone blocks for the wall. 
9. Hold out → held out – to endure.
   Example: He held out until help arrived. 
10. Hand-feed → hand-fed – to feed by hand.
    Example: The girl hand-fed the baby bird. 
11. Half-rise → half-rose – to partly stand up.
    Example: He half-rose when he saw the guest. 
12. Hamstring → hamstrung – to cripple or disable.
    Example: Injuries hamstrung the player’s career. 
13. House-sit → house-sat – to take care of someone’s home.
    Example: She house-sat while her friend traveled. 
14. Handwrite → handwritten – to write by hand.
    Example: The letter was handwritten with care. 
15. Heat → heated (irregular historical use, though now regular) – to make hot.
    Example: They heated the soup on the stove.

Phrasal Verbs Starting With H

Verb	Meaning	Example
Hold on	to wait	Hold on, I’ll be right back.
Hang out	to spend time casually	We love to hang out at the café.
Hand in	to submit	Please hand in your assignments.
Hang up	to end a phone call	She suddenly hung up the phone.
Hold up	to delay	The traffic held up the bus.
Head out	to leave	We will head out early in the morning.
Hook up	to connect	He hooked up the computer to the printer.
Heat up	to make warmer	She heated up the leftovers.
Hurry up	to move faster	Hurry up or we’ll miss the train.
Hang on	to hold tightly or wait	Hang on while I grab my keys.
Help out	to assist	Can you help out with the dishes?
Hit on	to flirt or make advances	He tried to hit on her at the party.
Hold back	to restrain	She couldn’t hold back her tears.
Hand out	to distribute	The teacher handed out the papers.
Hinge on	to depend on	The project’s success hinges on teamwork.

Rare and Unique Verbs Starting With H

1. Harangue – to lecture aggressively.
   Example: He harangued the crowd for hours. 
2. Hallow – to make holy.
   Example: The ground was hallowed by tradition. 
3. Hanker – to strongly desire.
   Example: She hankered for adventure. 
4. Hypnotize – to put into a trance.
   Example: The magician hypnotized the volunteer. 
5. Hallucinate – to see illusions.
   Example: The patient hallucinated after the medication. 
6. Harpoon – to spear with a harpoon.
   Example: The fisherman harpooned a whale. 
7. Hark – to listen attentively.
   Example: Hark! I hear footsteps. 
8. Hobble – to walk unsteadily.
   Example: The injured man hobbled to the car. 
9. Hustle – to push energetically or work hard.
   Example: He hustled to finish his work. 
10. Hitchhike – to travel by soliciting free rides.
    Example: They hitchhiked across Europe. 
11. Hamper – to obstruct.
    Example: Heavy rain hampered progress. 
12. Hem – to edge with cloth or surround.
    Example: She hemmed the dress beautifully. 
13. Harbor – to shelter or conceal.
    Example: The village harbored fugitives. 
14. Hearten – to encourage.
    Example: The news heartened the team. 
15. Hallowize – to sanctify or bless (archaic).
    Example: The priest hallowized the altar.

Popular & Impactful Verbs That Start With H

Verb	Meaning	Example
Help	to assist	He always helps his neighbors.
Heal	to restore health	The doctor will heal the wound.
Honor	to respect	They honor their ancestors every year.
Highlight	to emphasize	She highlighted the key points.
Host	to entertain	They will host an international conference.
Hope	to expect with positivity	We hope for peace.
Hug	to embrace	She hugged her grandmother warmly.
Harness	to control and use	Scientists harness wind energy.
Humble	to lower pride or respect modestly	Success has humbled him.
Heighten	to increase	Fear heightened the tension.
Harmonize	to bring into balance	The singers harmonized perfectly.
Hostage	to seize and hold	Rebels hostaged several civilians.
Handle	to manage effectively	She handled the situation wisely.
Head	to lead or move forward	He headed the committee.
Harvest	to gather and collect	Farmers harvest crops in autumn.

Fun Facts About Words Beginning With H

• The Sound of “H” Has Been Debated for Centuries – In Old English, the letter H often had a much stronger throat sound, similar to the “ch” in German ich. Over time, it softened into the light “h” sound we use today. 
• The “Silent H” Is Surprisingly Common – Words like honor, hour, and heir start with H but don’t pronounce it because this comes from their French origins, where H was historically silent. 
• H Is Both Ancient and Universal – The letter H comes from the Phoenician letter “heth,” which represented a fence. Many languages (like Greek, Hebrew, and Arabic) have variations of this sound. 
• H Is Linked to Breath and Life – In linguistics, the “h” sound is a breathy aspiration, which is why it often appears in words connected to life, health, and energy.
• It’s One of the Most Positive Verb Letters – Many uplifting and inspiring English verbs begin with H, such as help, heal, honor, hug, and highlight. That makes it one of the “happiest” letters of the alphabet.

Read: Verbs That Start With E Read: Verbs That Start With F

Read: Verbs That Start With G

Conclusion

Verbs that start with H bring hope, healing, and helpfulness into our language. From everyday expressions like have, hear, and hold to powerful and inspiring words like heal, honor, and highlight, H-verbs enrich our communication with clarity and positivity. Expanding your vocabulary with these verbs can make your writing stronger, your speech more expressive, and your conversations more impactful. Whether you are a student, a writer, or simply someone who enjoys words, learning verbs beginning with H is a valuable way to strengthen your command of English and communicate with confidence.