Portuguese (Portugal) · Pronunciation Guide

How do you pronounce "hora" in Portuguese (Portugal)?

Q: How do you pronounce hora in Portuguese (Portugal)?

hora is pronounced with the stress described below. In IPA it is written /ˈɔɾɐ/. It means “hour.” Say "AW-ruh" — the "h" is completely silent, so the word starts right on an open "aw" vowel.

Say "AW-ruh" — the "h" is completely silent, so the word starts right on an open "aw" vowel.

hora /ˈɔɾɐ/

Stress is on the first syllable, an open "o" vowel; the final "a" is unstressed and reduces to "uh". The initial "h" is never pronounced.

Listen: hora

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Sound it out

h Completely silent in Portuguese — never pronounce it as the English "h" sound; the word begins directly with the vowel.

o A stressed, open "aw" vowel, similar to the "o" in English "or" but without any "r"-coloring.

ra A light, tapped "r" (tongue flicks once against the roof of the mouth, like a fast Spanish single "r") followed by an unstressed, reduced "uh".

Hear it in a sentence

Demoro uma hora a chegar.

It takes me an hour to arrive.

Listen: Demoro uma hora a chegar.

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"Demoro uma hora a chegar" means "It takes me an hour to arrive", using "demorar" (to take time) plus "a + infinitive", another example of the European "a + infinitive" construction seen earlier with "ainda". Note "hora" takes the feminine article "uma" ("an/one"), and despite starting with a silent "h", it still counts as starting with a vowel sound for elision purposes elsewhere in the language.

Where English speakers slip

English speakers instinctively want to pronounce the "h", especially since the word looks so close to English "hour", but any audible "h" sound here immediately marks the speaker as non-native — it must be totally silent. The tapped "r" is also easy to over-strengthen into a trilled or English-style "r"; it should be a single quick flick, not a rolled or retroflex sound.