How to pronounce soak
Say it like SOHK. Soak 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 soak. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- SOHK
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Soak pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- SOHKSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of soak
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: SOHK.
What does soak mean?
- submerge in a liquid“I soaked in the hot tub for an hour”
- rip off; ask an unreasonable price
- cover with liquid; pour liquid onto“souse water on his hot face”
- the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid)“a good soak put life back in the wagon”
- washing something by allowing it to soak
Where does soak come from?
From Middle English soken, from Old English socian (“to soak, steep”, literally “to cause to suck (up)”), from Proto-Germanic *sukōną (“to soak”), causative of Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck”).
Words that rhyme with soak
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of soak.
Questions about saying soak
How do you pronounce soak?
Say SOHK. The American pronunciation is /soʊk/. In British English it is /səʊk/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in soak?
Soak is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: SOHK.
Is soak 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 /səʊk/ (SOHK).