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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).

Phonetic
aw
Voicing
Voiced
Place of Articulation
Back (Mid-Open)
Manner of Articulation
Vowel
Mouth 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

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Example Words

caughtMain Example
kɔt
law
talk
tɔk
all
ɔl
saw
thought
θɔt
bought
bɔt
dog
dɔg
off
ɔf
water
ˈwɔtər

Pronunciation Practice

11 words

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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
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