Hilario hila hilos.
ee-LAH-ryoh EE-lah EE-lohs
Hilario spins threads.
🔊 Listen & Practice
Start with slow speed to master pronunciation, then gradually increase to challenge yourself.
🎨 Visualization
Hilario is busy spinning threads! Notice how 'hila' (spins) and 'hilos' (threads) sound almost the same.
🎯 Pronunciation Focus
The Silent 'H' (La Hache Muda)
/i/The main challenge here is remembering that the letter 'h' in Spanish is always silent. You should pronounce 'Hilario' as if it starts with an 'i' (ee-LAH-ryoh) and 'hila' as 'ila' (EE-lah). Just ignore the 'h' completely!
The Spanish 'l' Sound (La Ele)
/l/The Spanish 'l' is a 'light' sound. Make it by touching the tip of your tongue to the roof of your mouth, just behind your top front teeth. Avoid the 'dark l' sound used in English words like 'hill' or 'full'.
📝 Practice Breakdown
Start with the name. Remember, the 'H' is completely silent. It sounds like 'Ilario'. Say 'ee-LAH-ryoh'.
Now for the main action. Both 'hila' and 'hilos' start with a silent 'h'. Focus on the clear, crisp 'l' sound in the middle of each word. Link them smoothly: 'EE-lah EE-lohs'.
Key Words in This Tongue Twister:
📚 Background
This is a simple but classic 'trabalenguas' perfect for beginners. Its main purpose is to train your brain to ignore the letter 'h' and not pronounce it, which is a common hurdle for English speakers.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Pronouncing the 'H'
Mistake: "Saying 'Hilario' with an 'h' sound, like in the English word 'hilarious'."
Correction: The Spanish 'h' is always silent (unless it's in 'ch'). Just pretend it isn't there! 'Hilario' starts with the vowel sound 'i' (like 'ee' in 'see').
Using the English 'Dark L'
Mistake: "Pronouncing 'hilos' with a 'dark L' sound, like in the English word 'full', where the back of the tongue is raised."
Correction: For the Spanish 'l', keep the tip of your tongue forward, touching just behind your top teeth. The rest of your tongue should stay relatively flat. It's a much lighter, clearer sound.
🌎 Where It's Used
General Spanish
This is a basic and universally understood tongue twister used everywhere to practice the silent 'h'.
🔗 Related Tongue Twisters
The Silent Spinner Challenge
Say 'Hilario hila hilos' five times in a row as fast as you can. The goal is to make it sound like one smooth, flowing phrase without accidentally adding any 'h' sounds!
🏷️ Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the letter 'h' EVER pronounced in Spanish?
On its own, no, the 'h' is always silent. However, when it's paired with a 'c' to make 'ch', it creates a new sound, like the 'ch' in the English word 'church'. For example, 'chocolate'.
Why does this tongue twister feel so simple?
It's designed to be! Its job is to drill one specific, fundamental rule of Spanish pronunciation: 'h' is silent. By repeating it, you build the muscle memory to automatically skip the 'h' sound when you see it.