How to pronounce "holies" in English
HO·lies
Primary stress: ho
Hear native speakers say holies in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “holies”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
HO
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
lies
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("HO"). 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 "holies" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "holies is" sounds like "holies-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "holies" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“in remote holy of holies, such as the Temple of Marduk on the 200-foot high tower of Babel in Babylon.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“And that is what it ends up in the temple between the Keruvim, between the Cherubim, the holy of holies.”— Harvard UniversityWatch clip
“Holies, and the temple was turned into a syncretistic Jewish pagan grove.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“church is some of the features of Solomon's Temple with an outer Courtyard an inner sanctuary and its own holy of holies where a”— Smithsonian ChannelWatch clip
“So I took over a basketball autographed by Michael Jordan, which is in their holy of holies.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“published in the holy of holies, the "New England Journal of Medicine," just this month.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “holies”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
in remote holy of holies, such as the Temple of Marduk on the 200-foot high tower of Babel in Babylon.
Hear it in context: “holies”
19 clipsThe English word “holies”. Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (ho · lies), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (ho). Grammatically, “holies” functions as a adjective, interjection, noun. SayItVid indexes 19 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “holies” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from MIT OpenCourseWare, Harvard University, YaleCourses.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #1 · @12:19
“who secluded their treasure in secret in remote holy of holies, such as the Temple of Marduk on the 200-foot high tower of Babel in Babylon. on the 200-foot high tower of Babel in Babylon.”
- 🇺🇸 USHarvard UniversityClip #2 · @67:52
“for reunion and return. And that is what it ends up in the temple between the Keruvim, between the Cherubim, the holy of holies. between the Cherubim, the holy of holies.”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #3 · @13:17
“pig was sacrificed on the altar in Jerusalem in the Holy of Holies, and the temple was turned into a syncretistic Jewish pagan grove. a syncretistic Jewish pagan grove.”
- 🇺🇸 USSmithsonian ChannelClip #4 · @0:53
“of Olives and though cross-shaped this church is some of the features of Solomon's Temple with an outer Courtyard an inner sanctuary and its own holy of holies where a an inner sanctuary and its own holy of holies where a”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @37:31
“we knew that the father liked basketball. So I took over a basketball autographed by Michael Jordan, which is in their holy of holies. by Michael Jordan, which is in their holy of holies.”
Definition & Meaning: “holies”
- Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.
- Revered in a religion.
- An expression of astonishment and awe.
- A thing that is extremely holy; used almost exclusively in Holy of Holies.
Example Sentences (3)
- “I'm planning to visit the holy city of Jerusalem this Christmas.”
- “This tree is considered holy in my culture.”
- “in remote holy of holies, such as the Temple of Marduk on the 200-foot high tower of Babel in Babylon.”
Pronounce: “holies”
- Syllables:
- ho · lies
- Primary stress:
- ho
- Hear it in context
- holies
Synonyms: “holies”
Hear words related in meaning to “holies” in real video clips:
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"holies" 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, "holies" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about holies
How many syllables are in “holies”?
“holies” has 2 syllables: ho · lies.
Where is the stress in “holies”?
The primary stress in “holies” is on “HO”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “holies” mean?
Dedicated to a religious purpose or a god.
How can I hear “holies” used in real sentences?
This page has 19 real-world video examples of “holies” 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 “holies”?
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⁄).