How to pronounce "ho ho" in English
ˈhoʊ.hoʊ
HOH·hoh
Primary stress: HOH
Hear native speakers say ho ho in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “ho ho”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
HOH
Gliding diphthong with sustained vocal resonance.
hoh
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("HOH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When followed by a vowel, insert a subtle glide (/w/ or /j/) to connect into the subsequent word without an abrupt glottal stop.
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "ho ho" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“chicken ho ho you know um there's a lot of word play especially to his close”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“Ho ho. Khulla asmaan nahi manzil hai Meri jaan Meri jaan hai.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“ho ho ho and happy horror days scream fans and welcome to the special Christmas edition of bloodline you know Jordan this time of year people like a”— WIREDWatch clip
“Ho ho, I have done it again.”— Khan AcademyWatch clip
“Ho ho no! Oh no! Oh! Oh no! Oh God, it's, the the top of the head fell off!”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“Ho ho! And the burden of student debt is being lifted by President Biden, members of Congress who supported.”— CNBCWatch clip
Practice Speaking “ho ho”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
chicken ho ho you know um there's a lot of word play especially to his close
Hear it in context: “ho ho”
130 clipsThe English word “ho ho” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈhoʊ.hoʊ (phonetic respelling: HOH-hoh). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (HOH · hoh), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (HOH). Grammatically, “ho ho” functions as a interjection. SayItVid indexes 130 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “ho ho” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from Harvard University, TEDx Talks, WIRED.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #1 · @16:13
“to William Carlos Williams and he'll sign off the letter off to kill a chicken ho ho you know um there's a lot of word play especially to his close friends uh Ed Dorne Robert grineer um there is close attention to his in the”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #2 · @11:23
“AAP mujhe akar de asi nahi ho. Ho ho. Khulla asmaan nahi manzil hai Meri jaan Meri jaan hai. ho. Khulla asmaan”
- 🇺🇸 USWIREDClip #3 · @0:03
“ho ho ho and happy horror days scream fans and welcome to the special Christmas edition of bloodline you know Jordan this time of year people like a Christmas edition of bloodline you know Jordan this time of year people like a”
- 🇺🇸 USKhan AcademyClip #4 · @1:56
“That's the end of the video. Thanks very much. Ho ho, I have done it again. Long have I practiced the art of deception.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @0:23
“Outtakes! Ho ho no! Oh no! Oh! Oh no! Oh God, it's, the the top of the head fell off! Everything, went poorly!”
Definition & Meaning: “ho ho”
- An exclamation used to express laughter, merriment, or triumph, often associated with Santa Claus.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Hoho, that is the funniest joke I have heard all day!”
- “chicken ho ho you know um there's a lot of word play especially to his close”
- “Ho ho. Khulla asmaan nahi manzil hai Meri jaan Meri jaan hai.”
Pronounce: “ho ho”
- Pronunciation:
- HOH-hoh
- Syllables:
- HOH · hoh
- Written Hyphenation:
- ho · ho
- Primary stress:
- HOH
- IPA:
- ˈhoʊ.hoʊ
- Hear it in context
- ho ho
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"ho ho" (⁄ˈhoʊ.hoʊ⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "ho ho" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about ho ho
How do you pronounce “ho ho”?
“ho ho” is pronounced ⁄ˈhoʊ.hoʊ⁄ (HOH-hoh). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “ho ho”?
“ho ho” has 2 syllables: HOH · hoh.
Where is the stress in “ho ho”?
The primary stress in “ho ho” is on “HOH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “ho ho” mean?
An exclamation used to express laughter, merriment, or triumph, often associated with Santa Claus.
How can I hear “ho ho” used in real sentences?
This page has 130 real-world video examples of “ho ho” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “ho ho”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).