aʊ
Diphthong
/aʊ/ — Diphthong (mouth, now)
Example words
| Word | US English | UK English |
|---|---|---|
| now | /ˈnaʊ/ | /naʊ/ |
| house | /ˈhaʊs/ | /haʊs/ |
| cow | /ˈkaʊ/ | /ˈkaʊ/ |
| how | /ˈhaʊ/ | /haʊ/ |
| out | /ˈaʊt/ | /ˈaʊt/ |
| down | /ˈdaʊn/ | /daʊn/ |
| town | /ˈtaʊn/ | /taʊ̯n/ |
| brown | /ˈbɹaʊn/ | /bɹaʊn/ |
| sound | /ˈsaʊnd/ | /saʊ̯nd/ |
| loud | /ˈlaʊd/ | /laʊ̯d/ |
Transcriptions come from pronunciation lexicons IPAtics maintains, in US and UK English.
How to produce this sound
SoundDiphthong (mouth, now).
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.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs only in /aʊ/, so hearing them side by side isolates the sound.
- town/ˈtaʊn/tone/ˈtoʊn/
- loud/ˈlaʊd/load/ˈloʊd/
- now/ˈnaʊ/no/ˈnoʊ/
- found/ˈfaʊnd/phoned/ˈfoʊnd/
Spelling patterns
- ow as in now
- ou as in house
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