How do you say Houthi in English? How do you pronounce Houthis?

The word “Houthi” refers to a Yemeni political and military movement. The correct pronunciation is “hoo-thee”. When saying it formally, you can break it down as follows: the “Hou” sounds like “how,” and the “thi” sounds like “thee” .

Additionally, in American English spelling, the “th” in “Houthis” is typically pronounced as [θ], similar to words like “think” or “math.” So, you can think of it as /huθ ɪ s/ or /haʊθ ɪ s/.

The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are a Yemeni militia group named after their founder, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi. They represent the Zaidi branch of Shia Islam and emerged in the 1980s in opposition to Saudi Arabia’s religious influence in Yemen.

These armed political and religious fighters champion Yemen’s Shia Muslim minority and declare themselves part of the Iranian-led “axis of resistance” against Israel, the US, and the wider West.

Their alignment with groups like Hamas and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement underscores their anti-imperialist and anti-Western sentiments. Recently, the Houthis have been involved in attacks on ships in the Red Sea, causing concern for maritime security.