he

We don’t traditionally think of he as having synonyms, but there are some situations in which it can be reworded or replaced with another word or phrase.

he himself

Sometimes, the phrase he himself is used to emphasize that a person did something entirely by himself or that it was done by him as opposed to others. For example, saying He cast the deciding vote may be a neutral statement, but saying He himself cast the deciding vote indicates that there was some significance to the fact that it was he who did it.

him

Sometimes a sentence can be reworded to replace the subject he with the equivalent object him. For example, the question “When do you expect he will arrive?” could be reworded as “When do you expect him to arrive?” In this case, it’s a more natural-sounding question, but this kind of rewording can be done for a number of reasons.

Him is also commonly used after linking verbs (like is and was) in sentences like It was him that I saw on the train or It is him in that picture.

He is used to stand in for more specific words, like Dr. Harris, Jacob, or the pilot. So, if there’s a chance that using he might be confusing (such as when more than one man is mentioned in the sentence), you can always use the name or title of the person instead of referring to him as he.

Take this sentence, for example: “If we invite Mr. Smith’s son, do you think he would come?”

The he in this sentence could refer to Mr. Smith or his son, so it may be more clear to reword it as: “If we invite Mr. Smith’s son, do you think his son would come?” (or by replacing he with Mr. Smith, if that’s what you mean). Of course, there are a number of other ways to say this, including using a specific name.

In some situations, it can be considered impolite to refer to someone as he or him when that person is in your presence—especially when you haven’t already acknowledged them or addressed them by name. To avoid this, it’s always best to refer to a person by name, especially when it’s the first time you’re referring to them.

He is a personal pronoun. Pronouns are used as substitutes for nouns—they’re another way of referring to a noun without using a specific name. Personal pronouns are used to refer to the speaker, to the person being addressed, or the person being talked about.

He is categorized as a third person pronoun (like she, they, him, her, and them), meaning it’s used to refer to anyone other than the person doing the communicating or the people being addressed.

In contrast, first person pronouns (like I and me) refer to the speaker or writer themselves, and the second person pronoun you is used to address the person being spoken to or reading.

He is used as a subject. Its object counterpart is him.