The sole has an elliptical outline, a rounded snout and a curved mouth. The nasal openings are on the white underside. Soles inhabit shallow sandy waters, where they lie buried by day, emerging at night to feed.
Food consists of small invertebrates, such as worms, crustaceans and bivalve molluscs.
The sole ranges throughout British waters, but is more common in the south. The sole is a valuable commercial fish, commonly taken along with plaice by beam trawl fleets.