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Pronunciation · vowel

The /ɒ/ sound — o as in hot

In short

/ɒ/ is a short open back rounded vowel — the vowel you hear in hot, on, job. 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 /ɒ/

  1. 1Open your mouth wide, like for /ɑː/.
  2. 2Round your lips slightly.
  3. 3Keep it short: hot, job, want.

Sounds like: a short 'o' with lightly rounded lips

/ɒ/ in words — with audio

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

  • hot/hɒt/ · sound is medial
  • on/ɒn/ · sound is initial
  • job/dʒɒb/ · sound is medial
  • want/wɒnt/ · sound is medial
  • because/bɪˈkɒz/ · sound is medial
  • knowledge/ˈnɒlɪdʒ/ · sound is medial

The mistake almost everyone makes

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

Who struggles with this sound:

Spellings of /ɒ/

These letter patterns commonly spell /ɒ/: o a au. English spelling is unreliable — trust the IPA, not the letters.

British vs American: General American has no /ɒ/ — these words use an unrounded /ɑ/ ('hot' = /hɑt/), so British 'hot' sounds rounder and shorter.

Don't confuse it with…

Minimal pairs isolate the exact contrast — the fastest way to train both your ear and your mouth.

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Frequently asked 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.

Next step

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