əʊ
Diphthong
/əʊ/ — Diphthong (British goat)
Example words
| Word | US English | UK English |
|---|---|---|
| boat | /ˈboʊt/ | /bəʊ̯t/ |
| home | /ˈhoʊm/ | /həʊm/ |
| show | /ˈʃoʊ/ | /ʃəʊ/ |
| no | /ˈnoʊ/ | /nəʊ/ |
| know | /ˈnoʊ/ | /nəʊ/ |
| road | /ˈɹoʊd/ | /ɹəʊd/ |
| phone | /ˈfoʊn/ | /fəʊ̯n/ |
| cold | /ˈkoʊld/ | /kəʊld/ |
| old | /ˈoʊld/ | /əʊld/ |
| nose | /ˈnoʊz/ | /ˈnəʊz/ |
Transcriptions come from pronunciation lexicons IPAtics maintains, in US and UK English. /əʊ/ appears only in the UK English transcriptions; the US English dictionary writes these words with another symbol.
How to produce this sound
SoundDiphthong (British goat).
TongueGlide continuously from the first vowel target to the second target with no break.
LipsTransition lip shape continuously across the glide; avoid abrupt snapping.
JawMove jaw smoothly between the two vowel targets without pausing in the middle.
VoiceKeep voicing continuous and even through the segment.
Spelling patterns
- ow as in show
- o…e as in home
- oa as in boat
- o as in no
Practise this sound
Hear it in context with IPAtics
Select any text and get instant IPA transcription with per-phoneme pronunciation coaching. Free for macOS and Windows.
Download IPAtics