Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

atoll

/ˈætɔl/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 2.85 in modern English

Syllables
atoll
IPA
/ˈætɔl/
5
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform.

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese atol, from Dhivehi އަތޮޅު (atoḷu), possibly from Prakrit *𑀲𑀁𑀢𑀻𑀞 (*saṃtīṭha), from Sanskrit सम्- (sam-) + तीर्थ (tīrtha) “level ford”. The traditional etymology from Persian آبتل (âb-tal, “water-hillock”) is unlikely.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: އަތޮޅު, *𑀲𑀁𑀢𑀻𑀞, -

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈætɔl/
  • British English: /ˈætɒl/

Inflected Forms

atolls (plural)

Derived Forms

microatoll

Phrases

atoll fruit dove

Rhymes With

lol vol poll doll col troll sol pol coll knoll moll vole

Questions

How do you pronounce atoll?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈætɔl/.
What does atoll mean?
A type of island consisting of a ribbon reef that nearly or entirely surrounds a lagoon and supports, in most cases, one to many islets on the reef platform.
Where does atoll come from?
It is traced to Sanskrit.

How to pronounce atoll

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “atoll”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈætɔl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “atoll”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “atoll” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.