How to pronounce “whole”
Say “whole” in one beat
whole
/hoʊl/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /həʊl/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- wholehoʊl
- IPA (American)
- /hoʊl/
- IPA (British)
- /həʊl/
- Respelling
- HOHL
- Syllables
- 1 — whole
- Stress
- One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hoʊl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
- Part of speech
- noun, adjective, adverb
- Difficulty
- Beginner — most learners get this on the first take
American and British are not the same here
/hoʊl/
/həʊl/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “whole” means
- noun
all of something including all its component elements or parts
“Europe considered as a whole”
- noun
an assemblage of parts that is regarded as a single entity
“how big is that part compared to the whole?”
- adjective
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
“gave his whole attention”
Say it in a sentence
“He ate the whole loaf before the rest of us arrived.”“whole”, answered
How do you pronounce “whole”?
“whole” is pronounced /hoʊl/ (HOHL) in American English and /həʊl/ in British English — one syllable. It is one unbroken piece — /hoʊl/ — with no pause anywhere inside it.
How many syllables does “whole” have?
One, despite the 2 vowel letters in the spelling. The whole word is /hoʊl/ — a single beat.
Is “whole” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /hoʊl/ (HOHL); British English says /həʊl/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “whole” mean?
As a noun: all of something including all its component elements or parts For example: “Europe considered as a whole” It carries 2 other senses as well — all of them said the same way.
Where is the stress in “whole”?
One syllable, so the whole word carries the beat — say /hoʊl/ in one unbroken piece rather than clipping the vowel.
Now say “whole” 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.