2 syllables: Hol, low. Stress on Hol.
HAH-loh
/ˈhɑloʊ/
Hollow is pronounced HAH-loh (/ˈhɑloʊ/). It has two syllables (Hol-low), with the stress on "Hol". Hollow is an adjective describing something with a space inside, lacking contents, purpose, or sincerity (as in a hollow sound). It can also mean empty or shallow in meaning. The term often conveys an absence or cavity, and in voice or sound contexts it refers to an empty, resonant cavity that produces a muffled or lacking tone when struck or spoken.
adjectiveHollow is an adjective describing something with a space inside, lacking contents, purpose, or sincerity (as in a hollow sound). It can also mean empty or shallow in meaning. The term often conveys an absence or cavity, and in voice or sound contexts it refers to an empty, resonant cavity that produces a muffled or lacking tone when struck or spoken.
"The tree trunk was hollow after years of rot."
"Her hollow voice echoed through the empty hall."
"They found a hollow in the hillside where water collected."
US: /ˈhɑː.loʊ/ or /ˈhɒl.oʊ/ depending on regional vowel shift; the first syllable carries primary stress. UK/AU typically /ˈhɒl.əʊ/ with a lighter second syllable that edges toward schwa. In all varieties, the /l/ is clear, and the final /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ is a rising diphthong toward a rounded off gliding vowel. Tip: start with an open back lax vowel in the first syllable, then glide to a rounded close-mid back vowel in the second.
Common errors: (1) dropping the final /oʊ/ sound or making it a quick /o/; (2) misplacing the schwa in the second syllable in UK/AU accents; (3) confusing /ɒ/ with /ɑː/ in the US. Correction: keep the first syllable /ˈhɒl/ with a clear open back vowel, then glide into /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ so the second syllable finishes with a rounded diphthong. Ensure the /l/ remains light but not vocalized into a vowel. Practice gradual transitions between the two syllables.
US: Often /ˈhɑl.oʊ/ or /ˈhɒl.oʊ/, with a rhotic r only in some connected speech; the first vowel is a back vowel, the second is a diphthong. UK: /ˈhɒl.əʊ/ with non-rhoticity, second syllable tends toward a mid-to-high back rounded vowel, less pronounced /r/ influence. AU: /ˈhɒl.əʊ/ similar to UK, but vowels may be more centralized and the ending diphthong can be lighter. Focus on maintaining syllable separation and the glide into the second vowel; the main difference is vowel quality and rhoticity.
Two main challenges: (1) managing the final diphthong /oʊ/ or /əʊ/, which requires a precise glide from a low back vowel to a rounded high vowel; (2) maintaining a distinct /l/ in the middle without inserting a vowel between /l/ and the second syllable, which can cause a blended or “hollow” sound. Small shifts in mouth height and lip rounding between the two syllables can change intelligibility, so practice a clean cv-CV pattern with a crisp pause.
The word’s unique feature is the clear onset consonant cluster with a silent or light /h/ onset not present in some related forms and the second syllable’s rounded diphthong. The combination /ˈhɒl/ + /oʊ/ or /ˈhɑː.ləʊ/ (UK) demands precise tongue height: back lax in the first vowel and a rounded, high-to-mid glide in the second. Keeping the /l/ clearly articulated between the syllables defines the word’s rhythm.
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Hollow comes from the Old English word holh, meaning a hole or cave, with the suffix -ow from Old English -alu/element of noun formation. In Middle English it appeared as holwe or holweȝe, gradually acquiring the sense of empty space inside something (a cavity) or a sound produced in a cavity (a hollow voice). The figurative sense—empty or meaningless—emerged by the 17th century, tied to the idea of lacking substance or sincerity. Its semantic evolution tracks with the broader shift from literal cavities to metaphorical emptiness (a hollow promise, hollow victory). Over time, the word broadened to describe not only physical hollows in objects but also non-physical emptiness in actions, words, or sounds. First known uses surface in early Middle English texts, with passing references to “hollow earth” for cavities and spaces. By the 18th and 19th centuries, “hollow” was well established in both physical descriptions and metaphorical contexts, maintaining a consistent core sense of a space without contents and, by extension, something insincere or unfulfilling when used figuratively.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Hollow" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Hollow"
-low sounds
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