How to pronounce the O
in English
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If you have reached this post on our blog, it is surely because you are interested in improving your pronunciation or because you have doubts about how words with O are pronounced in English. Your interest in improving the production of English sounds is very important, as it will ultimately help you achieve a pronunciation that does not interrupt or cause confusion in communication.
In English there are letters, such as B and C, that are pronounced the same as in Spanish. However, there are others, such as O, that have some variations. Learning all these variations requires time and a lot of practice, but it is not impossible. In this article, ABA English shows you with examples the variants that the pronunciation of this vowel has in English. You will not only learn how to pronounce the O, but you will also expand your vocabulary.
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English phonetics of the O
Phonetic transcription of words with O in English
Unlike the Spanish O which has only the pronunciation of ‘goal’ or ‘doctor’, the English version of this vowel has three different possibilities depending on the position it has in the word. Let’s see some examples of how the O is pronounced in English in each case. Remember that in the case of English words with O, you must remember that the pronunciation of British English and American English varies, so it is important that you consult the dictionary and pay attention to the IPA symbols next to each word.
As you will see, there are three phonemes that represent the English O and indicate its sound in a particular word, these are: /əʊ/, /u/ and /o/. When it is found at the end of the word, as in go which means ‘to go’ and whose phonetic transcription is /ɡəʊ/, it will sound as if you said ‘ou’ in Spanish, thus, this word is pronounced ‘gou’. When there are two Os together, like in roof (roof) /ruːf/, they sound like a Spanish U, ‘ruf’. Finally, when the O is found in the middle of the word, it sounds like the Spanish O; thus toy (toy), /tɔɪ/; sounds like ‘toi’.
How to improve the pronunciation of O in English
Start practicing the English pronunciation of the O with the example words you have in this post and then you can add no (no), /nəʊ/; tool (tool), /tuːl/; and boy (boy), /bɔɪ/ to further expand your vocabulary.
It will help you a lot to listen to the pronunciation of native speakers for these words and others that contain the O, so that you can start recognizing the different pronunciation cases of this letter and the correct way to say each word in English. Also, it is a good idea to try to transcribe the pronunciation of the words, even if you are not an expert in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
To improve your pronunciation even more record yourself imitating the pronunciation you hear in songs or movies. Then you can listen to yourself to see where adjustments are necessary
Vocabulary with the letter O in English and its pronunciation
Here is a list of words that are written with the letter o, classified into the different phonemes this letter can have in the English language. We also share their Spanish equivalents and IPA transcription.
| Phoneme /əʊ/ | Phoneme /u/ | Phoneme /o/ |
| Snow (to snow) /snəʊ/ Know (to know) /nəʊ/ Below (below) /bɪˈləʊ/ Toe (toe) /təʊ/ Cow (cow) /kaʊ/ Brown (brown) /braʊn/ Now (now) /naʊ/ Bow (bow) /baʊ/ | Soon (soon) /suːn/ Boot (boot) /buːt/ Hoot (hoot) /huːt/ Mood (mood) /muːd/ Stood (stood) /stʊd/ Took (took) /tʊk/ Loop (loop) /luːp/ Foot (foot) /fʊt/ | Boy (boy) /bɔɪ/ Loyal (loyal) /ˈlɔɪəl/ Above (above) /əˈbʌv/ Action (action) /ˈækʃ(ə)n/ Become (become) /bɪˈkʌm/ Democratic (democratic) /ˌdɛməˈkrætɪk/ Economy (economy) /i(ː)ˈkɒnəmi/ |
Here is a list of words that are written with the letter o, classified into the different phonemes this letter can have in the English language. We also share their Spanish equivalents and IPA transcription.
| Phoneme /əʊ/ |
| Snow (to snow) /snəʊ/ Know (to know) /nəʊ/ Below (below) /bɪˈləʊ/ Toe (toe) /təʊ/ Cow (cow) /kaʊ/ Brown (brown) /braʊn/ Now (now) /naʊ/ Bow (bow) /baʊ/ |
| Phoneme /u/ |
| Soon (soon) /suːn/ Boot (boot) /buːt/ Hoot (hoot) /huːt/ Mood (mood) /muːd/ Stood (stood) /stʊd/ Took (took) /tʊk/ Loop (loop) /luːp/ Foot (foot) /fʊt/ |
| Phoneme /o/ |
| Boy (boy) /bɔɪ/ Loyal (faithful, loyal) /ˈlɔɪəl/ Above (above) /əˈbʌv/ Action (action) /ˈækʃ(ə)n/ Become (to become) /bɪˈkʌm/ Democratic (democratic) /ˌdɛməˈkrætɪk/ Economy (economy) /i(ː)ˈkɒnəmi/ |
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Tips to pronounce the O and other letters in English
Achieving the correct pronunciation in a new language is probably one of the biggest challenges, but it is also the part that will make you master the use of any language.
English has phonetics very different from Spanish, so we provide you with some tips or tricks that can be useful to improve your pronunciation of the letter o in English as well as the rest of the alphabet.
1. If you have a favorite series that you almost know by heart, why not try watching it in the original version? Listening to native actors pronounce the words will be very useful when speaking because they generally use a rather informal vocabulary that facilitates understanding.
2. Take advantage of podcasts. They are like radio programs uploaded to the cloud on different platforms that you can listen to whenever you want.
We recommend listening to one that interests you in English, to familiarize yourself with the vocabulary and pronunciation of the language. The variety is infinite, from topics like cooking to personal development or the different sciences.
3. Last but not least, a good option to start internalizing the phonetics of the English language would be to pay attention to the songs you listen to and search for their lyrics to try to imitate the sound produced by the singers and thus practice your accent and pronunciation.
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