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Diphthong
Long O
The diphthong sound heard in words like "go", "home", "boat", and "know". It's a combination of two vowel sounds: it starts with a sound similar to the "o" in "go" (/o/) and glides towards the "oo" sound in "too" (/ʊ/).
Phonetic
ōVoicing
VoicedPlace of Articulation
Back (Mid)Manner of Articulation
Vowel (Diphthong)Mouth Position
Start with the jaw mid-open and the tongue mid-high and back in the mouth. Then, glide the tongue higher and more back while the jaw closes slightly. The lips start rounded and become more rounded as the sound finishes.
How to Make This Sound
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Example Words
goMain Example
goʊhome
hoʊmboat
boʊtknow
noʊroad
roʊdcold
koʊldold
oʊldsnow
snoʊslow
sloʊshow
ʃoʊPronunciation Practice
11 words
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3-5 essential words
Full Practice
All 11 words
Minimal Pairs
Listen and compare similar sounds
ō
go
goʊCompare with
G
got
gɑtō
home
hoʊmCompare with
H
hot
hɑtō
boat
boʊtCompare with
B
but
bʌtō
know
noʊCompare with
K
now
naʊTongue Twister
Practice: Diphthong
“Old Joe goes home slowly on the cold road.”
Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation