Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

have to

/ˈhæv.tuː/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 6.63 in modern English

Syllables: have -to
IPA: /ˈhæv.tuː/

12

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Must; need to; to be urged to; to be required to; indicates obligation.

verb

Must; expresses a logical conclusion.

Example Sentences

"You have to wear a seat belt."
"I have to go to the bathroom."
"I just have to have that shirt."
"Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
"She said you had not to talk to me, but you don't have to obey her anymore."
"I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West."

Etymology

Dates back at least to the Old English habban + tō construction, with the same meaning as sense 1 below.

Origin

Source language: Old English

Word Breakdown

Root: habban

Inflected Forms

has to (present, singular) having to (participle, present) had to (participle, past) had to (past) hafta (alternative, colloquial)

Synonyms

need to have got to got to gotta be bound to must

Questions

How do you pronounce have to?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈhæv.tuː/.
What does have to mean?: Must; need to; to be urged to; to be required to; indicates obligation.
Where does have to come from?: It is traced to Old English.

How to pronounce have to

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “have to”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈhæv.tuː/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “have to”.
Repeat and practice — Say “have to” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.