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Pronunciation

How to pronounce “soul”

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

Say “soul” in one beat

Say it like this

soul

/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. soulsoʊl
IPA (American)
/soʊl/
IPA (British)
/səʊl/
Respelling
SOHL
Syllables
1 — soul
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
Difficulty
Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
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 “soul” means

  1. noun

    the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

  2. noun

    a human being

    “there was too much for one person to do”

  3. noun

    deep feeling or emotion

Say it in a sentence

“The old song still stirs something deep in her soul.”
Sound by sound

The sounds inside this word

3 sounds, in the order you say them
ssoʊlong oll

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

Questions

“soul”, answered

How do you pronounce “soul”?

“soul” 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 “soul” have?

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

Is “soul” 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 “soul” mean?

As a noun: the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life For example: “The old song still stirs something deep in her soul.” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.

Where is the stress in “soul”?

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 “soul” and see every sound

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