One syllable: Quolls.
KWAHLZ
/ˈkwɑlz/
Quolls is pronounced KWAHLZ (/ˈkwɑlz/). It has one syllable (Quolls), with the stress on "Quolls". Quolls are small to medium-sized carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. The plural form refers to more than one quoll. In zoological contexts, quolls hunt insects and small vertebrates, and their name is used in wildlife discussions and conservation literature.
nounQuolls are small to medium-sized carnivorous marsupials native to Australia and New Guinea. The plural form refers to more than one quoll. In zoological contexts, quolls hunt insects and small vertebrates, and their name is used in wildlife discussions and conservation literature.
"The quolls darted along the forest floor, sniffing for prey."
"Researchers tagged several quolls to study their movement patterns."
"During the night, quolls emerged from hiding to hunt near the water’s edge."
Quolls is pronounced as two sounds in one syllable: /ˈkwɒlz/ (British/Australian) or /ˈkwɑːlz/ (some US pronunciations). The primary stress is on the first syllable. Start with a 'kw' blend, then a rounded short 'o' vowel (as in 'lot'), and finish with an 'lz' cluster that blends the 'l' and 'z' quickly. IPA guides show /ˈkwɒlz/ in UK/AU and /ˈkwɑːlz/ in some US varieties. Practicing by saying “KW-olz” with a quick, smooth +LZ ending helps accuracy. Audio references: native speaker clips from Pronounce or Forvo can reinforce the single-syllable rhythm.
Common errors include: 1) misplacing the primary stress, sounding like ‘quolls’ with stress on the second syllable; 2) mispronouncing the vowel as a long 'a' in US /ˈkwɑːlz/ instead of the rounded /ɒ/ or /ɒː/; 3) pronouncing the final cluster as a hard 'z' without lip rounding, e.g., ending with /z/ instead of /lz/. Correction: emphasize a crisp short /ɒ/ (or /ɑː/ in some US accents) and glide into a light /lz/ cluster; keep lips rounded only briefly for the /ɒ/ vowel and finish with a slight voicing for /z/ while coarticulating into /l/.
US speakers commonly use /ˈkwɑːlz/ or /ˈkwɒlz/ depending on region, with less lip rounding and a longer a-like vowel in some dialects. UK and AU varieties favor /ˈkwɒlz/ with a shorter, more rounded /ɒ/ and a crisper /l/ before the final /z/. The rhoticity is generally non-rhotic in UK/AU, while some US regions may show slight postvocalic r influence, though it’s minimal for this word. Practice with region-native clips to hear the subtle vowel length and rhotic tendencies.
Quolls presents two challenges: the initial /kw/ cluster requires precise lip rounding and a sharp, compact onset, and the final /lz/ cluster demands quick, smooth coarticulation between the ‘l’ and ‘z’ with a brief vowel stop before the /l/. The short, rounded /ɒ/ (or /ɑː/ in some US accents) can be misheard as a longer vowel. Focus on keeping the vowel brief, then slide quickly into /lz/ without a vowel between, ensuring the final 'l' is light.
Is there any silent letter in Quolls? No. All letters contribute to the sound: the Q is pronounced as /kw/ with a /w/ sound blending into /ɒ/ or /ɑː/, followed by an explicit /l/ and voiced /z/. The word consistently uses primary stress on the first syllable. This consistency helps learners: keep the onset strong, then execute the lazy, voiced end cluster /lz/ smoothly.
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Quoll derives from the Dharug language word “quol,” signifying a predator or animal, adopted into English via early 19th-century Australian exploration literature. The term was popularized to describe several species in the Dasyuridae family, notably the eastern quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) and the western quoll (Dasyurus geoffroii). The word entered scientific and vernacular use as Europeans documented marsupial fauna across Australia and New Guinea, with early accounts painting quolls as agile nocturnal hunters. Over time, “quoll” became the standard common name for multiple quoll species, distinguishing them from other dasyurids. The plural form “quolls” follows regular English pluralization in the face of loanword adaptation, though some sources occasionally retain native spellings in field notes. The term’s usage expanded from local indigenous contexts to global wildlife literature, and today it appears in conservation policy, ecological studies, and popular nature writing. The pronunciation settled into /ˈkwɒlz/ in Commonwealth and American English, reflecting a monosyllabic root with a dark back vowel and final -ls cluster that mirrors similar native mammal names in the region.
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Quolls" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Quolls" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Quolls"
-lls sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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