How to pronounce told
Say it like TOHLD. Told 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 told. Choose Slow to hear each sound clearly.
- TOHLD
- Main stress
- Lighter stress
- Unstressed
Told pronunciation, sound by sound
Read the parts left to right, then blend them together without pausing.
- TOHLDSay this part loudest and longest. The vowel is the "o" in go.
American vs British pronunciation of told
- The long o starts further forward in British English, closer to "uh-oo" than the American "oh".
British respelling: TOHLD.
What does told mean?
- simple past and past participle of tell How to pronounce tell“A tale is but half told, if only one person tells it.”
Where does told come from?
From Middle English tolde, talde (first and third person singular preterite), from Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite), from Proto-Germanic *talid-, preterite stem of Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”), eq
Words that rhyme with told
Practicing rhymes is a quick way to lock in the vowel sound of told.
Questions about saying told
How do you pronounce told?
Say TOHLD. The American pronunciation is /toʊld/. In British English it is /təʊld/. Press play above to hear it at normal speed or slowly.
How many syllables are in told?
Told is a single syllable, so the whole word carries the stress. Broken into parts: TOHLD.
Is told 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 /təʊld/ (TOHLD).