How to pronounce “holding”
Say “holding” in 2 beats
holding
/ˈhoʊldɪŋ/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /həʊldɪŋ/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- holhoʊlstress
- dingdɪŋ
- IPA (American)
- /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/
- IPA (British)
- /həʊldɪŋ/
- Respelling
- HOHL-ding
- Syllables
- 2 — HOL-ding
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: HOL-ding. “hol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈhoʊldɪŋ/
/həʊldɪŋ/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “holding” means
- noun
the act of retaining something
- noun
something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone
“that hat is my property”
- verb
keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,
“keep clean”
Say it in a sentence
“She was holding a bouquet of flowers at the wedding.”“holding”, answered
How do you pronounce “holding”?
“holding” is pronounced /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/ (HOHL-ding) in American English and /həʊldɪŋ/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hol”. Build it as HOL-ding, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “holding” have?
2: hol · ding. The beat lands on the first, “hol”.
Is “holding” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈhoʊldɪŋ/ (HOHL-ding); British English says /həʊldɪŋ/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “holding” mean?
As a noun: the act of retaining something For example: “She was holding a bouquet of flowers at the wedding.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “holding”?
Stress the first syllable: HOL-ding. “hol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “holding” 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.