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    ɒ

    The /ɒ/ sound: o as in hot

    • Vowel
    • Short
    • Medium priority

    Hear it

    in hot

    Lips
    Rounded
    Tongue
    Low and to the back
    Voice
    On
    Length
    Short

    The sound on its own: recording by No machine-readable author provided. Denelson83 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. Credits

    How to make /ɒ/

    1. 1

      Open your mouth wide, like for /ɑː/.

    2. 2

      Round your lips slightly.

    3. 3

      Keep it short: hot, job, want.

    Sounds like
    a short 'o' with lightly rounded lips
    British and American
    General American has no /ɒ/: these words use an unrounded /ɑ/ ('hot' = /hɑt/), so British 'hot' sounds rounder and shorter.

    /ɒ/ vs /ɔː/: shot vs short

    Every pair

    Both are rounded and at the back, but /ɔː/ is longer and closer, with firmer lip rounding. Count silently to two while holding the vowel in 'short'.

    1 / 8

    Which word do you hear?

    How /ɒ/ is spelled

    • o
    • a
    • au

    The usual mistake

    Replacing it with /ɔː/ or /əʊ/ so 'not' sounds like 'nought' or 'note', or unrounding it to an American-style 'ah'.

    Hardest for speakers of

    Words to practise

    Say it and get scored

    Read hot, on, job, want, because, knowledge aloud. Free, no account.

    Check my /ɒ/

    Questions

    How do you pronounce the /ɒ/ sound?
    Open your mouth wide, like for /ɑː/. Round your lips slightly. Keep it short: hot, job, want.
    What is the most common mistake with /ɒ/?
    Replacing it with /ɔː/ or /əʊ/ so 'not' sounds like 'nought' or 'note', or unrounding it to an American-style 'ah'.
    Which spellings make the /ɒ/ sound?
    Common spellings include “o”, “a”, “au”, as in hot /hɒt/, on /ɒn/, job /dʒɒb/.
    Is /ɒ/ different in American English?
    General American has no /ɒ/: these words use an unrounded /ɑ/ ('hot' = /hɑt/), so British 'hot' sounds rounder and shorter. IELTS accepts both; pick one model and stay consistent.
    Does /ɒ/ 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.