How to pronounce “holy”
Say “holy” in 2 beats
holy
/ˈhoʊli/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /həʊli/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- holhoʊstress
- yli
- IPA (American)
- /ˈhoʊli/
- IPA (British)
- /həʊli/
- Respelling
- HOH-lee
- Syllables
- 2 — HOL-y
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: HOL-y. “hol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/ˈhoʊli/
/həʊli/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “holy” means
- noun
a sacred place of pilgrimage
- adjective
belonging to or derived from or associated with a divine power
Say it in a sentence
“The old chapel was considered holy ground by the villagers.”“holy”, answered
How do you pronounce “holy”?
“holy” is pronounced /ˈhoʊli/ (HOH-lee) in American English and /həʊli/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “hol”. Build it as HOL-y, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “holy” have?
2: hol · y. The beat lands on the first, “hol”.
Is “holy” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈhoʊli/ (HOH-lee); British English says /həʊli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “holy” mean?
As a noun: a sacred place of pilgrimage For example: “The old chapel was considered holy ground by the villagers.” It carries 1 other sense as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “holy”?
Stress the first syllable: HOL-y. “hol” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Now say “holy” 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.