The /ɔː/ Vowel (THOUGHT)
/ɔː/
/ɔː/ is a back half-open rounded vowel. It is a long monophthong, so it keeps one steady quality.
Example Words
| Word | UK | US | |
|---|---|---|---|
| saw | /sɔː/ | /sɔː/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| door | /dɔː/ | /dɔːr/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
| four | /fɔː/ | /fɔːr/ | Syllables · Pronounce |
Distinctive Features
/ɔː/ is told apart from every other English sound by three distinctive features.
Allophones Of /ɔː/
/ɔː/ has 3 allophones in the app, starting with [ɔːʴ], after the vowel wherever the spelling has a post-vocalic r. The full list, where each occurs and the examples are in Allophones, which opens with any course or with Adroit Plus.
Words With The /ɔː/ Sound
/ɔː/ At The Start Of A Word
- all
- awe
- oar
- ore
- also
- auto
- oral
- altar
- alter
- audio
- audit
- awful
- orbit
- order
- organ
- ought
- albeit
- almost
- always
- author
- autumn
- orchid
- ordain
- ordeal
- orient
- ornate
- orphan
- already
- auction
- audible
/ɔː/ In The Middle Of A Word
- bald
- balk
- ball
- born
- call
- cord
- cork
- corn
- dawn
- fall
- fork
- form
- fort
- gawk
- hall
- halt
- haul
- hawk
- horn
- laud
- lawn
- lord
- mall
- maul
- norm
- pall
- pawn
- pork
- port
- salt
/ɔː/ At The End Of A Word
- jaw
- law
- nor
- paw
- raw
- saw
- war
- boar
- bore
- core
- door
- draw
- flaw
- four
- gnaw
- moor
- more
- poor
- pore
- pour
- roar
- soar
- sore
- sure
- thaw
- wore
- adore
- chore
- corps
- decor
Minimal Pairs
Questions Students Ask
How do you describe the vowel /ɔː/?
/ɔː/ is a back half-open rounded vowel.
Which words have the /ɔː/ sound?
For example saw, door, four.