One syllable: Whole.
hohl
/hoʊl/
Whole is pronounced hohl (/hoʊl/). It has one syllable (Whole), with the stress on "Whole". Whole is an adjective meaning complete or entire. It also functions as a noun in phrases like “the whole,” referring to the entirety of something. The word implies not a part but the sum total, often contrasting with part or fragment, and is commonly used across formal and informal contexts to denote completeness or entirety.
adjectiveWhole is an adjective meaning complete or entire. It also functions as a noun in phrases like “the whole,” referring to the entirety of something. The word implies not a part but the sum total, often contrasting with part or fragment, and is commonly used across formal and informal contexts to denote completeness or entirety.
- Common phonetic challenges: 1) Letting the /h/ be silent or too weak; keep a breathy onset. 2) Shortening the /oʊ/ diphthong into a flat vowel; maintain the glide from /o/ to /ʊ/ or /oʊ/ depending on speaker. 3) Over-emphasizing the final /l/ into an overly dark or heavy sound; aim for a crisp, light /l/ with tongue-tip contact. Corrections: practice with breathy onsets, drill /oʊ/ in isolation and in minimal pairs like 'oh' vs 'hole', and perform tongue-tip taps to locate the /l/. Move to connected speech with slow tempo, then normal, then fast, ensuring the glide remains audible and the final /l/ is clean. Focus on producing a one-syllable, steady vowel and a precise alveolar closure for /l/ to avoid adding an extra vowel sound after the /l/.
How to Pronounce Whole
"Take the whole cake, not just a slice."
"She read the whole report in one sitting."
"We walked the whole length of the trail."
You pronounce whole as one syllable: /hoʊl/ (US) or /həʊl/ (UK). Start with a rising diphthong from /oʊ/ with the lips rounded, ending in a alveolar/plosive-like final /l/ with light contact. The initial /h/ breath is gentle, and the entire mouth position is compact: a long, steady vowel sound followed by an /l/. Audio references: you can compare with similar words like 'hole' to hear the /hoʊl/ pattern.
Mistakes: 1) De-voicing or reducing the /h/; ensure you start with a breathy /h/ and not a silent onset. 2) Mispronouncing /oʊ/ as /o/ or /əʊ/; keep the diphthong, gliding from /o/ to /ʊ/ or to /ʊ/ depending on speaker. 3) Final /l/ misarticulation; avoid a heavy alveolar trill—soft, clear /l/ with the tongue tip against the alveolar ridge. Practice with minimal pairs like ‘hole’ vs ‘holy’ to lock in the sound.
US: /hoʊl/, non-rhotic is uncommon; clear /h/ and /oʊ/ with a light /l/. UK: /həʊl/ with a lengthened /ə/ and a slightly slower glide on the /əʊ/; more centralized vowel before /l/. AU: /hoːl/ or /hoːl/ with a more monophthongal /oː/ and sometimes a non-fully rhotic /l/ quality. Across all, rhoticity is limited; US maintains rhotic /r/ in connected speech only if followed by r-controlled vowels, which for this word is not applicable. IPA references help anchor the precise vowel shift.
The difficulty stems from the short, high-frequency /h/ onset and the diphthong /oʊ/ that demands a precise tongue height and lip rounding within a single syllable. The final /l/ requires a crisp tongue-tip contact without adding extra syllation. People often soften the diphthong or replace /l/ with a vowel if not careful in fast speech. Focused practice with connected speech will train the transition between /h/ and /oʊ/ and the reduction of the /l/ to a clean alveolar touch.
Yes—its vowel quality and the subsequent rhotic presence are minimal, but the crucial feature is the fast, smooth glide of /oʊ/ into /l/. In rapid speech, speakers sometimes elide or shorten the vowel and blend into a darker /l/. You’ll want to keep the diphthong intact and terminate with a precise, light alveolar /l/ to avoid trailing vowel sounds. This ensures you consistently differentiate it from similar-sounding words like 'hole' or 'holy.'
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- US: strong /oʊ/ with crisp /l/; ensure rhoticity is not involved here. - UK: /həʊl/ tends to have a slightly more centralized /əʊ/; keep the glide clear and monitor vowel height. - AU: /hoːl/ may be a longer, monophthongized vowel; practice maintaining a full lip rounding and avoid turning it into /hoːl/ too early. In all accents, the rhotic influence is minimal, so the emphasis is on the diphthong glide and the light alveolar /l/. Use IPA to guide: /hoʊl/ US, /həʊl/ UK, /hoːl/ AU.
Whole comes from Old English hal, which meant “healthy, sound” and by extension “wholesome.” The semantic shift toward “entire” or “complete” developed in Middle English as phrases like ‘the whole of’ or ‘the whole’ came to signify the total amount or extent, contrasting with parts. The root hal connected to Proto-Germanic *halmaz, and cognates appear in Old Norse heill, which carried meanings associated with health and integrity. Over centuries, the word formalized into current usage as an adjective and pronoun (the whole), retaining the core sense of entirety. It has remained a high-frequency term in both spoken and written English, appearing in proverbs and academic prose alike. First known uses in the sense of “the entire thing” surface in Middle English, with later standardization in Early Modern English when print and grammar codification solidified distinctions between whole and part in everyday speech and writing.
💡 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 "Whole" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "Whole" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "Whole"
-oll sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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