How to pronounce “hold”
Say “hold” in one beat
hold
/hoʊld/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /həʊld/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- holdhoʊld
- IPA (American)
- /hoʊld/
- IPA (British)
- /həʊld/
- Respelling
- HOHLD
- Syllables
- 1 — hold
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hoʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/hoʊld/
/həʊld/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “hold” means
- noun
the act of grasping
“he released his clasp on my arm”
- noun
understanding of the nature or meaning or quality or magnitude of something
“he has a good grasp of accounting practices”
- noun
power by which something or someone is affected or dominated
“he has a hold over them”
Say it in a sentence
“She asked him to hold the ladder steady while she climbed.”“hold”, answered
How do you pronounce “hold”?
“hold” is pronounced /hoʊld/ (HOHLD) in American English and /həʊld/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /hoʊld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “hold” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /hoʊld/ — a single beat.
Is “hold” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /hoʊld/ (HOHLD); British English says /həʊld/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “hold” mean?
As a noun: the act of grasping For example: “he released his clasp on my arm” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “hold”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hoʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “hold” 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.