How To Pronounce Cold

cold

Phonemic

/kəʊld/

Phonetic

[kʰəʊɫd̚]

Phonemic

/koʊld/

In British English, cold is pronounced /kəʊld/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [kʰəʊɫd̚]. In American English, it is pronounced /koʊld/.

Cold has one syllable. The British and American pronunciations are different, so listen to both.

Slashes / / show the phonemic transcription, the sounds that change meaning. Square brackets [ ] show the phonetic transcription, with the finer detail of how the sounds are actually made.

Syllables, Stress And Endings

Syllables And Stress

kəʊld

Cold has one syllable in British English.

cold + -s

-s (plural, possessive or singular verb) is /z/ after a voiced consonant or a vowel sound.

/kəʊldz/

/koʊldz/

cold + -er

-er (comparative) is /ə/ in UK English and /ɚ/ in US English.

/ˈkəʊl.də/

/ˈkoʊl.dɚ/

cold + -est

-est (superlative) is always /ɪst/.

/ˈkəʊl.dɪst/

/ˈkoʊl.dɪst/

Words That Rhyme With Cold

Questions About Cold

How do you pronounce cold in British English?

In British English, cold is pronounced /kəʊld/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [kʰəʊɫd̚].

How do you pronounce cold in American English?

In American English, cold is pronounced /koʊld/.

Do British and American English pronounce cold the same way?

No. British English has /kəʊld/ and American English has /koʊld/.

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