adjective

sole

sohl

adjective

Being the only one; single, exclusive.

"She was the sole survivor of the crash."

"He had sole responsibility for the project's budget."

noun

The bottom surface of the foot, or of a shoe.

"A stone got stuck in the sole of his shoe."

A flat, edible sea fish.

"The restaurant served grilled sole with lemon butter."

How to Use Sole

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishDepending on context: being the only one of something, the underside of a foot or shoe, or a type of flatfish.

Common mistake

Easily confused with "soul" (spirit) — they sound identical but are unrelated in meaning.

Easily confused with

soul →

Common pairings

sole survivor sole owner shoe sole

soled past tense, soled past tense, soles plural, soles plural, soles plural, soles singular, soles singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “sole” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Can you complete this real example?

She was the _____ survivor of the crash.

From Latin sōlus ("alone, single") for the "only" sense; the foot/shoe and fish senses trace back to a separate Latin word, solea, for a flat sandal.

individual first and last lone one one and only only single singular solitary unitary

accompanying collective fellow many one of many

A plural one few man singular person some

ole hole vole mole pole cole dole role stole whole Poole parole

individual first and last lone one one and only only single singular solitary unitary accompanying collective