Real clips from the app. Turn your sound on.
Hear both words in 6 voices
Each row is one speaker saying both words. Play one, then the other, and switch to slow when the difference hides.
- American woman, younger
- American woman, older
- American man, younger
- American man, older
- British woman, younger
- Australian woman
What's different
Hole has the vowel of bowl, which moves: it starts at "oh" and closes toward "oo" before the l. Hall has the vowel of ball, which holds still until the l. Many American voices say hall with the open "ah" of father, which makes the gap even wider: "hahl" against "hole".
The l at the end is dark in both words, a hollow sound made with the back of the tongue raised, and it smudges the end of the vowel. So listen to the middle of the word, before the l takes over: moving is hole, steady is hall. Whole, as in "the whole day", is said exactly like hole.
Studies: Strange et al. 1996 · Lambacher et al. 2002 · Alshangiti & Evans 2024
oʊ (bowl) glides into 'oo' at the end. ɔː (ball) stays still.
Start hearing the difference.
Free to download, with one purchase to unlock everything. No subscription.