Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

hold to ransom

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.67 in modern English

Syllables
hold -to ran-som
IPA
18
Scrabble Score
12
Letters
3
Syllables
10
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To hold (someone) hostage until a ransom is paid.

British usage; Transitive verb

Usage

Inflected Forms

holds to ransom (present, singular) holding to ransom (participle, present) held to ransom (participle, past) held to ransom (past) hold ransom (alternative, US) hold for ransom (alternative, US)

Synonyms

hold hostage

Questions

What does hold to ransom mean?
To hold (someone) hostage until a ransom is paid.

How to pronounce hold to ransom

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