ɔː
Vowel
/ɔː/ — Long open-mid back rounded vowel
Example words
| Word | US English | UK English |
|---|---|---|
| thought | /ˈθɔt/ | /θɔːt/ |
| law | /ˈlɔ/ | /lɔː/ |
| saw | /ˈsɔ/ | /sɔː/ |
| talk | /ˈtɔk/ | /tɔːk/ |
| walk | /ˈwɔk/ | /wɔːk/ |
| small | /ˈsmɔl/ | /smɔːl/ |
| ball | /ˈbɔl/ | /bɔːl/ |
| door | /ˈdɔɹ/ | /dɔː/ |
| floor | /ˈflɔɹ/ | /flɔː/ |
| more | /ˈmɔɹ/ | /mɔː/ |
Transcriptions come from pronunciation lexicons IPAtics maintains, in US and UK English. /ɔː/ appears only in the UK English transcriptions; the US English dictionary writes these words with another symbol.
How to produce this sound
SoundLong open-mid back rounded vowel.
TongueHold the tongue body at a mid height and avoid drifting up or down. Retract the tongue body toward the back of the mouth.
LipsRound the lips to the target shape early and hold that rounding steadily.
JawUse a mid jaw opening and keep it steady.
VoiceKeep voicing continuous and even through the segment.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs only in /ɔː/, so hearing them side by side isolates the sound.
- port/pɔːt/pot/pɒt/
- sport/spɔːt/spot/spɒt/
- short/ʃɔːt/shot/ʃɒt/
Spelling patterns
- aw as in law
- al as in talk
- ough as in thought
- oor as in door
- ore as in more
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