Description of the /ɒ/ Sound

• To make the /ɒ/ sound, the back of your tongue is slightly raised from its resting position towards the soft part of the roof of the mouth
• When you say /ɒ/, your lips are a little rounded and there is no contact between the sides of your tongue and your upper side teeth
• /ɒ/ is a short vowel sound

Some Ways of Spelling the /ɒ/ Sound

• o, as in: log, option, odd, shock, knob, off, God, sod, rod, don, pot, cot, etc.
• a, as in: watch, yacht, waddle, was, want, etc.
• ou, as in: cough, trough, etc.
• ua, as in: quarrel, squat, squad, squash, quality, etc.

Description of the /ɔ:/ Sound

• To make the /ɔ:/ sound, the back of your tongue is raised halfway towards the soft part of the roof of the mouth
• The /ɔ:/ sound is also a back mid-vowel sounds
• Your lips are very rounded when you say /ɔ:/ and no contact is made between the sides of your tongue and your upper side teeth
• /ɔ:/ is a long vowel sound

Some Ways of Spelling the /ɔ:/ Sound

• ar, as in: war, warm, swarm, warn, ward, etc.
• or, as in: torch, porch, short, torture, horse, orchid, etc.
• ore, as in: chore, ore, pore, core, more, etc.
• our, as in: court, four, mourn, etc.
• oar, as in: hoarse, coarse, soar, hoard, oar, etc.
• oor, as in: door, floor, moor, etc.
• a(l), as in: talk, salt, walk, chalk, stalk, balk, etc.
• au(gh), as in: author, daughter, taught, taunt, flaunt, Paul, etc.
• aw, as in: saw, law, crawl, brawl, jaw, awesome, etc.
• ou, as in: bought, thought, sought, ought, fought, wrought, etc.
• a(ll), as in: all, pall, call, tall, hall, ball, etc.
• oa, as in: broad, abroad, etc.