How To Pronounce Hold

hold

Phonemic

/həʊld/

Phonetic

[həʊɫd̚]

Phonemic

/hoʊld/

In British English, hold is pronounced /həʊld/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [həʊɫd̚]. In American English, it is pronounced /hoʊld/.

Hold 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

həʊld

Hold has one syllable in British English.

hold + -s

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

/həʊldz/

/hoʊldz/

hold + -ing

-ing is always /ɪŋ/.

/ˈhəʊl.dɪŋ/

/ˈhoʊl.dɪŋ/

Words That Rhyme With Hold

Questions About Hold

How do you pronounce hold in British English?

In British English, hold is pronounced /həʊld/. The narrow phonetic transcription is [həʊɫd̚].

How do you pronounce hold in American English?

In American English, hold is pronounced /hoʊld/.

Do British and American English pronounce hold the same way?

No. British English has /həʊld/ and American English has /hoʊld/.

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