Pronunciation

How to pronounce “cold

“cold” is pronounced /koʊld/ (KOHLD) in American English and /kəʊld/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “cold” in one beat

Say it like this

cold

/koʊld/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kəʊld/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. coldkoʊld
IPA (American)
/koʊld/
IPA (British)
/kəʊld/
Respelling
KOHLD
Syllables
1 — cold
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /koʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/koʊld/

British

/kəʊld/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “cold” means

  1. noun

    a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs)

    will they never find a cure for the common cold?

  2. noun

    the absence of heat

    the coldness made our breath visible

  3. noun

    the sensation produced by low temperatures

    he shivered from the cold

Say it in a sentence

The soup had gone cold by the time she sat down.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

cold”, answered

How do you pronounce “cold”?

“cold” is pronounced /koʊld/ (KOHLD) in American English and /kəʊld/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /koʊld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “cold” have?

One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /koʊld/ — a single beat.

Is “cold” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /koʊld/ (KOHLD); British English says /kəʊld/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “cold” mean?

As a noun: a mild viral infection involving the nose and respiratory passages (but not the lungs) For example: “will they never find a cure for the common cold?” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “cold”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /koʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “cold” and see every sound

Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.