IPA: /ɔː/ Sound
IPA: /ɔː/ — The "aw" sound.
The /ɔː/ sound is a mid-open back rounded vowel. It is the sound you hear in words like "law," "dog," "thought," and "ball." It is a long, rounded vowel made with the tongue in the back of the mouth and the lips rounded.
In some accents (such as General American), this sound may be pronounced closer to /ɑː/, especially in words like "dog" and "law." In Received Pronunciation (British English), it remains a distinct vowel sound.
❓ How to Know if It’s the /ɔː/ Sound
- It is a long vowel, more rounded than the short /ɒ/ sound.
- Lips are rounded and the tongue is low-mid and back in the mouth.
- Common spellings:
- aw (law, saw)
- au (cause, author)
- ou (thought, bought)
- o (dog, off, long)
🔊 Sample Words with /ɔː/
📝 Simple Sentences with /ɔː/
- The law is very clear.
- My dog loves to play outside.
- I have a strange thought.
- The ball bounced high.
- This cause is important.
- I saw a bird fly by.
- I have caught the ball!
- He made a call to his friend.
- The author signed the book.
- The light is off.
🔁 Tongue Twisters with /ɔː/
- A lawless dog ran off to a ball.
- Saw the author, caught the ball, and called the law.
- The dog caught the ball in the law court.
- Caught in the law, the author thought of a ball.
- The ball saw the law, and the dog called.
📖 A Short Story with /ɔː/ Sound
One day, a dog named Max ran across the street, chasing a ball. He ran through the yard and knocked over a flowerpot. The gardener shouted, “That’s against the law!”
Max didn’t understand the law, but he knew he had to stop. He dropped the ball and sat quietly. His owner, Alice, ran to him and said, “Max, you can’t run like that! We need to follow the law.”
Max wagged his tail, looking at the ball on the ground. Alice picked it up and threw it for him. “Let’s play, but not near the flowers,” she said.
Max was happy to obey the cause of keeping the garden safe. He loved playing with his ball, but he understood that the law was important.