Back to all sounds
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).
Phonetic
awVoicing
VoicedPlace of Articulation
Back (Mid-Open)Manner of Articulation
VowelMouth Position
Jaw 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/.
How to Make This Sound
Articulation video not available
Watch the Sound
Click the video to watch in fullscreen mode
Example Words
caughtMain Example
kɔt
law
lɔ
talk
tɔk
all
ɔl
saw
sɔ
thought
θɔt
bought
bɔt
dog
dɔg
off
ɔf
water
ˈwɔtər
Pronunciation Practice
11 words
Speak the words aloud to get instant feedback on your pronunciation
Quick Practice
3-5 essential words
Full Practice
All 11 words
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
Practice: Vowel
“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.”
Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation