stool
/stul/
stool is pronounced stool (/stul/). Stool refers to a small seat without back or arms, typically made of wood or metal. It can also denote a supporting surface for medical or laboratory use, or a sense of fecal matter in biological contexts. In everyday language, it most often means a simple seat you sit on in casual settings or a high, backless seat used at bars or workstations.
Stool refers to a small seat without back or arms, typically made of wood or metal. It can also denote a supporting surface for medical or laboratory use, or a sense of fecal matter in biological contexts. In everyday language, it most often means a simple seat you sit on in casual settings or a high, backless seat used at bars or workstations.
- Mispronouncing the vowel as a short /u/ (like 'pull') instead of the long /uː/. To correct, extend the vowel by 80-90 ms before your tongue drops to the /l/. - Adding an extra syllable or a schwa after the vowel in rapid speech (e.g., 'stoo-ul'). Focus on keeping it a single, steady vowel with a clean final /l/. - Inadvertently turning the /l/ into a vowel-like sound or a vocalic release; aim for a light, dark /l/ where the tongue tip contacts the alveolar ridge, with a quick release. - Not rounding the lips enough for /uː/ or over-rounding creating /juː/; keep rounded but not sing-songy.
"She pulled up a stool at the kitchen island and began grinding spices."
"The doctor asked her to sit on a stool while he examined her."
"The bar counter was crowded, so I grabbed a tall stool."
Pronounce it as /stuːl/. It’s a single syllable with a long
Common mistakes: misproducing the long vowel as a short /u/ or conflating with 'stool' vs 'stool' rhyme. Ensure your lips form a rounded position for /uː/ and don’t reduce the vowel to /ʊ/. Focus on prolonging the vowel slightly and releasing into a clean final /l/.
In US, UK, and AU, /uː/ is the core vowel; rhoticity doesn’t affect /uː/ here. UK tends toward a slightly tenser /uː/ with less post-vocalic coloring; US is similar but often a bit more retentive in the tongue height. Australian English tends to be a bit more centralized and may have a broader, lax /uː/.
The difficulty lies in maintaining a long, tense /uː/ vowel in a closed syllable followed by a dark /l/; many speakers shorten the vowel or blend the /l/ too soon. Also, the immediate /l/ can cause the tongue to lift toward the alveolar ridge. Coordinating lip rounding with a clean lateral /l/ final requires precise muscle control.
Stool has a backless, closed-syllable structure with a pure long /uː/ vowel and a light, lateral /l/. A unique feature is the absence of a following consonant cluster, so you maintain the vowel length and mouth shape until the tongue lands on the alveolar ridge for the /l/.
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- US: The /uː/ tends to be a centralized, tense vowel; keep vowels high and back, with slight lip rounding. - UK: Similar to US but often crisper with clearer /l/; ensure /uː/ remains long and not reduced before /l/. - AU: Vowel quality can be a touch broader and less tense; maintain lip rounding and avoid vowel length loss in fast speech. Use IPA /stuːl/ across all variants, but listen for subtle duration and vowel height differences.
The word stool originates from Old English studl/stop? Not exactly. It is ultimately from the Proto-Germanic root stōla- or stōl, related to standing or supporting structures, with parallels in Dutch stoel and German Stuhl (chair). In Middle English, stool referred to a seat or stool-like support and carried the sense of something upon which one sits or stands. The basic meaning as a small seat without a back developed in the Germanic family of languages and spread across Europe through trade and domestic use. Over time, stool broadened to include specific items such as a doctor’s stool or a laboratory stool, and in medical terms also refers to fecal matter (less common in modern general usage but still encountered in clinical contexts). The first known written attestations appear in medieval texts, with related terms appearing in various Germanic languages by the 12th-13th centuries. The word emphasizes function (support, seating) and material construction (wood, metal).
💡 Etymology tip: Understanding word origins can help you remember pronunciation patterns and recognize related words in the same language family.
Help others use "stool" correctly by contributing grammar tips, common mistakes, and context guidance.
💡 These words have similar meanings to "stool" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "stool" and show contrast in usage.
📚 Vocabulary tip: Learning synonyms and antonyms helps you understand nuanced differences in meaning and improves your word choice in speaking and writing.
Words that rhyme with "stool"
-ool sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
🎵 Rhyme tip: Practicing with rhyming words helps you master similar sound patterns and improves your overall pronunciation accuracy.
