How to pronounce roll
Say it like ROHL. Roll is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress.
Click the play button next to American or British to hear how to pronounce roll. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- ROHL
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Roll pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- ROHLSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of roll
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: ROHL.
What does roll mean?
- move by turning over or rotating“The child rolled down the hill”“turn over on your left side”
- move along on or as if on wheels or a wheeled vehicle“The President's convoy rolled past the crowds”
- occur in soft rounded shapes“The hills rolled past”
- rotary motion of an object around its own axis“wheels in axial rotation”
- a list of names“his name was struck off the rolls”
- a long heavy sea wave as it advances towards the shore
Where does roll come from?
Displaced native English welt and partially displaced English wallow.
Words that rhyme with roll
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of roll.
Words that sound like roll
Questions about saying roll
How do you pronounce roll?
Say ROHL. The American pronunciation is /roʊl/. In British English it is /rəʊl/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in roll?
Roll is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: ROHL.
Is roll pronounced differently in British English?
Yes. The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh". The British form is /rəʊl/ (ROHL).
What words sound the same as roll?
Roll sounds the same as role in American English. The spelling and meaning are what tell them apart.