One syllable: Pole.
pohl
/poʊl/
Pole is pronounced pohl (/poʊl/). It has one syllable (Pole), with the stress on "Pole". Pole (noun) refers to a long, slender rod or staff; in geography, it denotes either end of the Earth or a magnetic/nimble point. It can also mean a position on an issue or a person who aligns with a particular side. The term often appears in physics, navigation, and everyday objects like flagpoles or tent poles. Context determines whether it implies direction, support, or a point of extremity.
nounPole (noun) refers to a long, slender rod or staff; in geography, it denotes either end of the Earth or a magnetic/nimble point. It can also mean a position on an issue or a person who aligns with a particular side. The term often appears in physics, navigation, and everyday objects like flagpoles or tent poles. Context determines whether it implies direction, support, or a point of extremity.
"The meteorologist noted the polar Pole at the north end of the map."
"She planted the flag on the pole outside the stadium."
"The North Pole experiences months of darkness during winter."
Pole is pronounced with a long o as /poʊl/ in US English and /pəʊl/ in British English, with a single stressed syllable. Start with a rounded, mid-to-high back vowel, then glide into a crisp /l/ at the end. Your mouth should form a rounded lips-tooth transition for the /oʊ/ (US) or /oʊ/ equivalent, finishing with the light contact of the tongue tip to the alveolar ridge for the /l/. Audio references: typical US and UK pronunciations align with standard dictionaries; you’ll hear the same sound in words like “pole” and “coal.”
Common errors include shortening the vowel to a short /ɒ/ or /ɑ/ (as in ‘pol’ without length) and misplacing the /l/ by not touching the tongue to the alveolar ridge, producing a vowel-only sound. Another frequent slip is rounding the lips too much, producing /poʊɹ/ or a transition that sounds like ‘pol-’ with extra consonant gloss. To fix: ensure a clear, tense /oʊ/ glide, keep the tongue tip at the alveolar ridge for /l/, and avoid adding extra syllables or a trailing vowel.”
In US English, /poʊl/ with a clear long o and non-rhotic ending; UK English features /pəʊl/ with a more centralized initial vowel sound in some dialects. Australian English often leans toward /poːl/ with a slightly longer, monopthongized vowel and a less pronounced /l/ variation. The main difference is vowel quality: US tends to a tenser /oʊ/, UK a rounded /əʊ/; AU can blend toward a longer, more pure /oː/ or /oːl/ depending on speaker. Rhoticity is typically minimal in all, but vowel duration and mouth shape vary subtly.”
Pole is tricky because of the tense, diphthong /oʊ/ or /əʊ/ glide that requires precise lip rounding and jaw position, followed by a quick, single alveolar /l/. The risk lies in reducing the diphthong to a simple /o/ or over-elongating the /l/ into a vowel-like sound, especially in fast speech. Coarticulation with neighboring sounds can blur the boundary between the vowel and the /l/. Practicing the exact transition from the vowel to the tongue-tip contact helps stabilize the sound across accents.
Pole can be confused with poll in casual speech, but the distinction is the vowel length and quality: /poʊl/ versus /pɒl/ or /pɔːl/ in some dialects. You’ll hear a concise, uninterrupted /oʊ/ glide in careful speech; ensure your lips begin rounded and then unround slightly as you reach the /l/. Emphasize the vowel’s duration without adding a second syllable. This word remains one-syllable in all major dialects, so contrast of sounds is essential to clarity.
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- US: /poʊl/, stressed monosyllable, crisp final /l/. Vowel is tense and has a distinct glide; keep lips rounded through the glide and release quickly into the /l/. - UK: /pəʊl/, warmer, more centralized initial vowel; watch for non-rhoticity but keep the /l/ crisp. - AU: /poːl/ or /poːl/, longer vowel, slight vowel lengthening before the /l/; ensure less lip rounding at onset and a firm tongue-tip /l/ contact. Refer to IPA for accuracy and adjust mouth shapes accordingly.
Pole comes from Middle English pole, from Old English pulla or pol, related to Latin pila ‘ball, pillar’ via Germanic roots. The word likely stems from Proto-Germanic *pula- or *pōlaz, denoting a long, slender post. In early usage, Pole referred to a stake used in fencing or mounting; later it broadened to any upright rod. The geographic sense—Earth’s poles—emerged through exploration and navigation, aligning with metaphorical poles of magnetism and direction. The sense of a pole as a boundary or extremity amplified in the 16th-18th centuries with cartography and navigation. By the 19th century, “Pole” also described a person from Poland, derived from the geographic root “Pole” and the Latin Polonia, though this is a separate etymology path unrelated to the rod. The word’s flexible spelling and pronunciation reflect its diverse paths into English. First known use as a physical rod is attested in medieval texts; geographic pole senses appeared with early explorers mapping the world. Today, Pole remains a compact, highly productive term across science, geography, and everyday items, retaining its core image of a straight, vertical line or endpoint.
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Help others use "Pole" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "Pole" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Pole" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Pole"
-ole sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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