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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “only”

“only” is pronounced /ˈoʊnli/ (OHN-lee) in American English and /əʊnli/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “on”.
The sound

Say “only” in 2 beats

Say it like this

only

/ˈoʊnli/

The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /əʊnli/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.

2 beats
  1. onoʊnstress
  2. lyli
IPA (American)
/ˈoʊnli/
IPA (British)
/əʊnli/
Respelling
OHN-lee
Syllables
2 — ON-ly
Stress
Stress the first syllable: ON-ly. “on” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.
Part of speech
adjective, adverb
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/ˈoʊnli/

British

/əʊnli/

No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.

Meaning

What “only” means

  1. adjective

    being the only one; single and isolated from others

    “the lone doctor in the entire county”

  2. adjective

    exclusive of anyone or anything else

    “she alone believed him”

  3. adverb

    and nothing more

    “I was merely asking”

Say it in a sentence

“Only a few people showed up to the early meeting.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

4 sounds, in the order you say them
oʊlong onnllilong e

Each sound has its own page: where the tongue goes, what it is usually confused with, and words to drill it on.

Questions

“only”, answered

How do you pronounce “only”?

“only” is pronounced /ˈoʊnli/ (OHN-lee) in American English and /əʊnli/ in British English — 2 syllables, stressed on “on”. Build it as ON-ly, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.

How many syllables does “only” have?

2: on · ly. The beat lands on the first, “on”.

Is “only” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /ˈoʊnli/ (OHN-lee); British English says /əʊnli/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “only” mean?

As an adjective: being the only one; single and isolated from others For example: “the lone doctor in the entire county” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “only”?

Stress the first syllable: ON-ly. “on” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllable falls away from it.

Practise this word

Now say “only” and see every sound

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