How to Pronounce the /ɔ/ Sound 

How to Pronounce the /ɔ/ Sound

In this lesson, we are going to learn how the sound /ɔ/ is produced by looking at the articulatory organs.

What Type of Sound Is /ɔ/?

/ɔ/ is a long sound, between /ɑ/ and /ʊ/ sounds.

How to Produce /ɔ/?

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To produce it, as in the picture, keep your mouth rounded like the /ʊ/ sound but slightly less rounded, and keep your mouth mid-open like /ɑ/ but less open. Technically speaking, it is less rounded than /ʊ/ and less open than /ɑ/.

Which Letters are Pronounced as /ɔ/?

The sound /ɔ/ is represented by the following letters:

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o:

Example

more /mɔr/

dog /dɔɡ/

a:

Example

also /ˈɔl.soʊ/

talk /tɔk/

Example

author /ˈɔ.θɚ/

haul /hɔl/

Example

four /fɔr/

thought /θɔt/

Example

broad /bɹɔd/

abroad /əˈbɹɔd/

Tip!

When two dots come after the sound as in /ɔː/, It indicates that it is pronounced as a long vowel sound, not as a short or weak sound.

/ɔ/ Around the World

Take a look at the table below and see if /ɔ/ exists in your language, if it does not, do not worry. With a little practice you will be able to produce it.

Existence

Example

Mandarin

x

-

Spanish

x

-

Hindi

कौन

Bengali

অমর

Portuguese

formosa

Russian

x

-

Japanese

x

-

Vietnamese

Turkish

x

-

French

pomme

German

kommen

Italian

otto

Persian

x

-

Standard Arabic

x

-

Korean

x

-

Indonesian

pohon

Filipino

opo

Hungarian

x

-

Dutch

bot

Polish

rok

Romanian

x

-

Swedish*

moll

Czech

x

-

Greek

x

-

Ukrainian

по́ле

Urdu

کَون

* The sound exists in Sweden Swedish.

Listening

Let's listen to the pronunciation of the /ɔ/ sound which has been mentioned below:

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Down below, there are two other sounds similar to the /ɔ/ sound. At first, listen to the /ɑ/ sound and then listen to the /ʊ/ sound:

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