Pronunciation

How to pronounce “sole

“sole” is pronounced /soʊl/ (SOHL) in American English and /səʊl/ in British English — one syllable.
The sound

Say “sole” in one beat

Say it like this

sole

/soʊl/

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

1 beat
  1. solesoʊl
IPA (American)
/soʊl/
IPA (British)
/səʊl/
Respelling
SOHL
Syllables
1 — sole
Stress
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /soʊl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Part of speech
noun, verb, adjective
Difficulty
Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
Accents

American and British are not the same here

American

/soʊl/

British

/səʊl/

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

Meaning

What “sole” means

  1. noun

    the underside of footwear or a golf club

  2. noun

    lean flesh of any of several flatfish

  3. noun

    the underside of the foot

Say it in a sentence

The sole of my boot came away on the hill.
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them

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

Questions

sole”, answered

How do you pronounce “sole”?

“sole” is pronounced /soʊl/ (SOHL) in American English and /səʊl/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /soʊl/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.

How many syllables does “sole” have?

One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /soʊl/ — a single beat.

Is “sole” said differently in British English?

Yes. American English says /soʊl/ (SOHL); British English says /səʊl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.

What does “sole” mean?

As a noun: the underside of footwear or a golf club For example: “The sole of my boot came away on the hill.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “sole”?

One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /soʊl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.

Practise this word

Now say “sole” 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.