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Vowel

AW Sound / Caught Vowel

The mid-low back rounded vowel sound heard in words like "caught", "law", "talk", and "all". Often called the CAUGHT vowel. Note: Many American English speakers merge this sound with the Short O /ɑ/ (the Cot-Caught Merger).

aw
Phonetic System (Merriam-Webster):aw

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Example Words

Main Example

caught
Phonetic: kɔt

Common Words

caughtkɔt
lawlɔ
talktɔk
allɔl
sawsɔ
thoughtθɔt
boughtbɔt
dogdɔg
offɔf
waterˈwɔtər

Minimal Pairs

Listen and compare similar sounds

aw
caught
kɔt
Compare with
C
cot
kɑt
aw
talk
tɔk
Compare with
T
tock
tɑk
aw
law
lɔ
Compare with
L
low
loʊ
aw
dawn
dɔn
Compare with
D
Don
dɑn

Tongue Twister

Paul called Saul to talk about the awful flaw.|The dog caught the ball and saw it fall into the wall.|Dawn brought her thoughts to draw on the lawn.

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Technical Details

  • CategoryVowel
  • VoicingVoiced
  • Place of ArticulationBack (Mid-Open)
  • Manner of ArticulationVowel
  • Mouth PositionJaw is mid-low, more open than for Long O /oʊ/. Tongue is low-mid and pulled back. Lips are rounded, but can be less tense than for /oʊ/.