One syllable: Ode.
ohd
/oʊd/
Ode is pronounced ohd (/oʊd/). It has one syllable (Ode), with the stress on "Ode". Ode is a lyric poem, usually elevated in tone and written to celebrate or memorialize a person, place, thing, or event. It expresses admiration, emotion, and reflection, often in a formal, crafted style. In everyday use, an ode can also refer to a poem of praise and can be recited aloud with a steady, musical cadence.
nounOde is a lyric poem, usually elevated in tone and written to celebrate or memorialize a person, place, thing, or event. It expresses admiration, emotion, and reflection, often in a formal, crafted style. In everyday use, an ode can also refer to a poem of praise and can be recited aloud with a steady, musical cadence.
How to Pronounce Ode
"She read an ode to the city, praising its resilience and beauty."
"The poets gathered to recite odes inspired by the night sky."
"His ode to memory lingered in the hall long after the applause."
Ode is pronounced with a long 'o' sound: /oʊd/ in US and UK English, which rhymes with 'code' or 'toed'. The mouth starts with a rounded, open vowel that glides into a tense, closing /d/. The final /d/ should be light but audible, not omitted. Practice saying 'ode' in a single smooth glide from /o/ to /d/ without adding extra vowels.
Common mistakes include mispronouncing the long /oʊ/ as a short /o/ as in 'odd,' and adding a schwa after the vowel (’oh-d-uh’). To correct, keep the /oʊ/ as a diphthong, ending near a closed /o/ before the /d/. Ensure the /d/ is released clearly; avoid turning it into a nasal or silent consonant. Practicing with minimal pairs like 'ode' vs 'owed' can help you stabilize the vowel and final consonant.
In US/UK/AU accents, the vowel is a tense, long /oʊ/. The rhotic difference isn’t in /oʊ/ but in surrounding vowel quality; some speakers may have a slightly tighter jaw in American English, while UK speakers may have a more rounded lip position. Australian English often features a broader, more centralized diphthong with a bright, open quality and a crisp /d/ release. The final /d/ tends to stay clear in all three, but the preceding diphthong may shift slightly in length and vowel height.
The difficulty lies in producing a clean /oʊ/ diphthong without lengthening into an /ɒ/ or adding extra vowel sounds, plus a precise /d/ at the end. If you’re not careful, you may produce a monophthong /o/ or a clipped /d/. The transition from vowel to consonant requires a quick glide and a firm tongue tip contact for the /d/. Mouth placement must stay rounded but not overly so, with controlled timing from vowel release to consonant.
Yes. The word carries a sense of formality, and its monosyllabic structure invites a strong, clean long-vowel pronunciation. The stress pattern is simple—primary stress on the entire word as a single syllable—and there’s no internal consonant cluster to complicate timing. Practicing it as a swift, even beat helps preserve its ceremonial feel, and pairing it with a longer preceding phrase in a line of verse will help you maintain an even tempo.
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Ode comes from the Greek oide, from aoidēs, meaning ‘singer’ or ‘one who sings.’ In ancient Greek lyric poetry, odes were poems intended for musical accompaniment, often composed to honor individuals or events. The Latin poets adopted the term as oden or odium, then it entered English in the 16th century with a formality that reflected classical models. Early English odes, like those of Ben Jonson and John Dryden, emphasized elevated diction, formal meter, and a public, ceremonial tone. By the Romantic era, odes began to blend personal feeling with solemn address, while maintaining crafted structure. Today, ‘ode’ retains its classical association with praise and lyric sophistication, though contemporary usage can refer to any poem of tribute or reflection, even when privately composed. First known use in English surfaces in the 16th century, aligning with translation and metrical traditions from Greek and Latin sources, with the sense of a laudatory poem becoming more standardized in the 17th–18th centuries. Over time, the term has broadened to include occasional poems that celebrate mundane phenomena as well as grand subjects, while preserving its core sense of admiration and formal lyrical voice.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Ode" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Ode" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Ode"
-ode sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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