Pronunciation
How to pronounce “only”
“only” is pronounced /oʊnli/ — 2 syllables.
The sound
Say “only”
only
/oʊnli/
Say it right
2 syllables. Stress the 'on' part (say it longer and louder) and let the others relax — unstressed vowels often soften to a lazy /ə/.Meaning
being the only one; single and isolated from others
“the lone doctor in the entire county”
This entry is generated live and has not been through our editorial check yet, so it carries no British transcription and no mistake notes. Browse the checked dictionary.
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