In this lesson we are going to look at the әʊ sound, as in the words:
- go /gәʊ/
- know /nәʊ/
- so /sәʊ/
/əʊ/ is a diphthong sound which means it is a combination of two vowel sounds that are pronounced within the same syllable.
The әʊ sound is a combination of /ә/ and /ʊ/ or /u:/. Like vowels the diphthongs are all made through the mouth and are voiced which means that you vibrate your vocal chords to make the sound.
Unlike with vowels and consonants, when you pronounce a diphthong sound, your mouth will change position and shape as you say the sound, because they combine two vowel sounds.
So as you say the /әʊ/ sound your mouth will start on the position of the /ə/ sound and then close a little and become more rounded as you finish on the position of the /ʊ/ or /u:/ sound.
How the әʊ sound is spelled
One of the most difficult things about learning English is the spelling. This is because spelling is often not phonetic especially the vowels and diphthongs. So you will find the /әʊ/ sound spelled many different ways. But it is often spelled with the letters “o”, as in the words:
- no /nәʊ/
- those /ðәʊz/
- own /әʊn/
- though /ðәʊ/
Here are some words that start with the /әʊ/ phoneme.
- open /’əʊnli/
- only /’əʊnli/
- over /’әʊvә/
- old /əʊld/
Here are some words with the /әʊ/ phoneme in the middle.
- most /mәʊst/
- program /’prәʊgræm/
- hold /hәʊld/
- home /hәʊm/
Here are some words with the /әʊ/ phoneme at the end.
- also /’ɔːlsәʊ/
- show /ʆәʊ/
- ago /әˈgәʊ/
- follow /ˈfɒlәʊ/
So that is it for the әʊ sound but we have made additional videos on each of the groups of sounds Vowels, Diphthongs, Single Consonants, or Consonant Pairs as well as a video explaining the the phonetic chart.