How to pronounce “old”
Say “old” in one beat
old
/oʊld/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /əʊld/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- oldoʊld
- IPA (American)
- /oʊld/
- IPA (British)
- /əʊld/
- Respelling
- OHLD
- Syllables
- 1 — old
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /oʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/oʊld/
/əʊld/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “old” means
- noun
past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old')
- adjective
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
“his mother is very old”
- adjective
of long duration; not new
“old tradition”
Say it in a sentence
“The old bridge was finally replaced last spring.”“old”, answered
How do you pronounce “old”?
“old” is pronounced /oʊld/ (OHLD) in American English and /əʊld/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /oʊld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “old” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /oʊld/ — a single beat.
Is “old” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /oʊld/ (OHLD); British English says /əʊld/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “old” mean?
As a noun: past times (especially in the phrase `in days of old') For example: “The old bridge was finally replaced last spring.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “old”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /oʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “old” 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.