Pronunciation

How to pronounce “held

“held” is pronounced /hɛld/ (HELD) — one syllable.
The sound

Say “held” in one beat

Say it like this

held

/hɛld/

The voice you hear here is American; a British voice is available in the app's settings.

1 beat
  1. heldhɛld
IPA (American)
/hɛld/
IPA (British)
/hɛld/
Respelling
HELD
Syllables
1 — held
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hɛld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
verb, adjective
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Meaning

What “held” means

  1. verb

    keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,

    keep clean

  2. verb

    have or hold in one's hands or grip

    Hold this bowl for a moment, please

  3. verb

    organize or be responsible for

    hold a reception

Say it in a sentence

She held the baby carefully as she walked down the stairs.
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

held”, answered

How do you pronounce “held”?

“held” is pronounced /hɛld/ (HELD) — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /hɛld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “held” have?

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

What does “held” mean?

As a verb: keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., For example: “keep clean” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “held”?

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

Practise this word

Now say “held” 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.