Pronunciation · diphthong

The /əʊ/ sound — o as in go

In short

/əʊ/ is a closing diphthong: glides from schwa /ə/ towards /ʊ/ — the diphthong you hear in go, home, know. Like every diphthong, the glide between two positions IS the sound. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.

How to pronounce /əʊ/

1Start from the neutral schwa position — lips relaxed.
2Glide back and round your lips towards /ʊ/.
3Go, home, know.

Sounds like: the letter O said the British way — 'uh-oo' blended

/əʊ/ in words — with audio

Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.

go/ɡəʊ/ · sound is final
home/həʊm/ · sound is medial
know/nəʊ/ · sound is final
boat/bəʊt/ · sound is medial
open/ˈəʊpən/ · sound is initial
though/ðəʊ/ · sound is final

The mistake almost everyone makes

Using a pure /oː/ with no glide — the most common giveaway of a non-native 'o'. British /əʊ/ starts neutral; let the rounding happen during the sound.

Who struggles with this sound:

Hindi speakers — /əʊ/ flattens to a pure long o — 'go' and 'no' lose their glide
Urdu speakers — /əʊ/ flattens to /oː/ — the glide in 'go', 'home' disappears

Spellings of /əʊ/

These letter patterns commonly spell /əʊ/: o o_e ow oa ough. English spelling is unreliable — trust the IPA, not the letters.

British vs American: American English starts more rounded: /oʊ/ ('go' = /ɡoʊ/). Both are fine — the glide is what matters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce the /əʊ/ sound?

Start from the neutral schwa position — lips relaxed. Glide back and round your lips towards /ʊ/. Go, home, know.

What is the most common mistake with /əʊ/?

Using a pure /oː/ with no glide — the most common giveaway of a non-native 'o'. British /əʊ/ starts neutral; let the rounding happen during the sound.

Which spellings make the /əʊ/ sound?

Common spellings include “o”, “o_e”, “ow”, “oa”, “ough” — as in go /ɡəʊ/, home /həʊm/, know /nəʊ/.

Is /əʊ/ different in American English?

American English starts more rounded: /oʊ/ ('go' = /ɡoʊ/). Both are fine — the glide is what matters. IELTS accepts both — pick one model and stay consistent.

Does /əʊ/ matter for IELTS?

It matters moderately. Errors are noticeable but only sometimes affect understanding. Fix the high-priority vowel contrasts and final consonants first, then polish this one.

Next step

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