/oʊ/as in “go”

Vowel

How to pronounce /oʊ/ in English

The /oʊ/ sound is a high-mid, tense, back vowel.

Diphthong
Back
Rounded

Jaw
Open your mouth partially, then close it a little.
Tongue
Tense your tongue, keep it just above midline, and pull it towards your throat. Then relax your tongue and raise the back a little higher.
Lips
Round your lips into a tight, tense circle, then relax them.

Example words

go
home
know
boat
cold
open

Common mistakes

Gliding vowels

/eɪ/ came out as a single vowel: "late" sounded like "let". Glide up towards "i" at the end.
/oʊ/ came out as a single vowel. Round your lips further as you finish.

How to practise

These are gliding vowels: the tongue moves during the sound.
/eɪ/ glides from "e" towards "i": "day".
/oʊ/ glides from "o" towards "u", with the lips rounding more: "go".

Easily confused words

late · let
pain · pen
sale · sell
coat · cot
note · not

Practise /oʊ/ with Letty

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