How to pronounce “told”
Say “told” in one beat
told
/toʊld/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /təʊld/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- toldtoʊld
- IPA (American)
- /toʊld/
- IPA (British)
- /təʊld/
- Respelling
- TOHLD
- Syllables
- 1 — told
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /toʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- verb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/toʊld/
/təʊld/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “told” means
- verb
express in words
“He said that he wanted to marry her”
- verb
let something be known
“Tell them that you will be late”
- verb
narrate or give a detailed account of
“Tell what happened”
Say it in a sentence
“She told her brother about the surprise party in advance.”“told”, answered
How do you pronounce “told”?
“told” is pronounced /toʊld/ (TOHLD) in American English and /təʊld/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /toʊld/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “told” have?
One, despite the 1 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /toʊld/ — a single beat.
Is “told” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /toʊld/ (TOHLD); British English says /təʊld/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “told” mean?
As a verb: express in words For example: “He said that he wanted to marry her” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “told”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /toʊld/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “told” 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.