Decoding the letter O

The **letter O** (lowercase **o**, pronounced **/əʊ/**), as most vowel letters in English, had initially four main pronunciations; however in Received Pronunciation and in General American they are currently three.

* So-called “short o”, IPA phoneme /ɒ/, as in *lot, hop, hopping, cloth,**BrE* *long**BrE* or *torrid**BrE*

Short o spelling, IPA phoneme /ɔː/,*AmE* as in *cloth,**AmE* or *long**AmE*
* So-called “long o”, IPA phoneme /əʊ/, as in *go, hope, hoping* or *most*
* Long "or" monophtong (short vowel spelling), IPA phoneme /ɔː/, as in *north, horse, born* or *torrid*.*AmE*
* Long vowel "or" spelling, currently also /ɔː/, but it used to be /oə/ as in *force*, *core* or *glory*.

It also can be pronounced /ʌ/ as in *love* plus other, less common pronunciations, sometimes in combination with other letters, and, of course, it can be used as schwa. There are some helpful rules (to be taken with the habitual pinch of salt).

## Distinctions by dialect

Teaching the letter O is one of those cases in which teachers, whichever their preferences might be, need to point out the differences between Received Pronunciation and General American. The best known of these differences is that RP /ɒ/ is normally GA /ɑː/. Also RP **/ɒ/** in some cases is GA **/ɔː/** as in *cloth* and *long*. Also, many North Americans pronounce /ɔː/*BrE* as /ɑː/; see also Cot-caught merger.

## As /ɒ/

**IPA consonants**

*See main article IPA phoneme /ɒ/.*

*See also So-called “short o” and Decoding exercises: "orV" and "orrV"*

* before final consonants: bomb - bond - box - drop - hot - job - lot - not - on - shop - stop - top - upon

across*BrE* - along*BrE* - cloth*BrE* - cost*BrE* - dog*BrE* - long*BrE* - lost*BrE* - off*BrE*
* before double consonant or "ck": block - clock - coffee - follow - occupy - offer*BrE* - possible - shock
* before one consonant: body - gone*BrE* - holiday - model - poverty - probably - product
* before two different consonants: compact *(adj., n.)* - often*BrE* - problem

## As /əʊ/

*See main article IPA phoneme /əʊ/.*

* with magic e: alone - bone - phone - stone - whole - zone
* with silent e: noble
* mid position: global - local - mobile - motivate - notable - slogan - soldier
* ending in consonants: bold - both - don't - fold - folk /fəʊk/ - ghost - gold - gross - hold - host - most - old - post - roll - poll - won't
* ending in "o": ago - also - buffalo - espresso - go - judo - no - potato - radio - so - taco - tomato - tuxedo - video

## As /ɔː/

*See also Decoding exercises: "orV" and "orrV"*

* afford - born - force - form - horse - important - north - order - report - short - sort - store - storm - support - sword
* AmE: across - along - ch**o**colate - cloth - cost - dog - gone - long - lost - off - offer - often

## As /ʌ/

*See main article IPA phoneme /ʌ/.*

* O adjacent to **"m"**: accomplish*BrE* - Col**o**mbia - come - comfort - comfortable /ˈkʌmftəbəl, ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/ - company - compass - mother - some - stomach
* O adjacent to **"m"** and **"n"**: among - Monday - money - mongrel - monk - monkey - month
* O adjacent to **"n"**: another - confr**o**ntation - done - front - honey - L**o**ndon - none - nothing - one /wʌn/ - once /wʌns/ - onion /ˈʌnjən/ - son - sponge - ton - tongue - tonne
* O adjacent to **"n"** and **"w"**: won - wonder - wonderful
* O adjacent to **"v"**: above - Coventry /ˈkʌvəntriː, ˈkɒvəntriː/ - cover - discover - dove *(bird)* - glove - government - love - lover - oven - shovel - slovenly
* Other: brother - color*AmE* - colour*BrE* - dozen - other - thorough /ˈθʌrə,*BrE* ˈθɜːrəʊ*AmE*/ - worry /ˈwʌri,*BrE* ˈwɜːri*AmE*/

## As /ɜː/

* attorney - word - work - world - worm - worse - worst - worth

## As /uː/

* do - lose - move - tomb - two - who - whose - womb

## As schwa

*See main article schwa.*

* weak forms: for - from - of - some - to
* at beginning (including many verbs): object *(verb)* - observe - occasion - occur - official - oppose
* as part of suffix -tion: nation - motion
* as part of suffix -sion: version - vision
* other: antonym - brocc**o**li - compact *(verb)* - director - ecol**o**gy - forbid - gorilla

## Combinations

### As "oa"

*See main article Decoding exercises: "oa"*

* as **/ɔː/**: abroad, boar, board, broad, oar, roar, soar
* as **/əʊ/**: approach, boat, coach, coal, coat, coast, float, foam, goal, goat, load, loan, oats, road, roast, throat, toast

### As "oe"

*See main article:* Decoding exercises: "oe"

* /əʊ/: Joe - mistletoe - oboe - toe

plurals: does *(noun)* - mosquitoes - potatoes
* /ʌ/: does *(verb)*
* /uː/: canoe - shoe
* /əʊə/: poem - poet - poetry

### As "oi"

*See main article: IPA phoneme /ɔɪ/*

* /ɔɪ/: choice - oil

### As "oo"

*See main article: Decoding exercises: "oo"*
* /uː/: boot - choose - cool - fool - loose - moon - pool - root - school - soon - stool - tool
* /ʊ/: book - cook - foot - good - hook - look - shook - took - wool - whoops!
* /ʌ/: blood - flood

### As "ou"

*See main article Decoding exercises: "ou"*

* /aʊ/: about - cloud - house - mountain - mouth - out - round
* /aʊə/: flour - hour - our - sour
* /ʌ/: country - cousin - touch - trouble - young
* /ɔː/: bought - course - court - fought - source - thought
* /əʊ/: although - dough - shoulder - soul - though
* /uː/: group - soup - through - you - youth
* /ʊ/: could - would - should
* /ɜː/: journalist - journey
* /ə/: ending in -our*BrE*: colour - neighbour - vapour

ending in -ous: dangerous - enormous - famous - obvious - religious - serious
### As "ow"

*See main article: Decoding exercises: "ow"*

* /əʊ/: know - row - window
* /aʊ/: brown - down - towel
* /ɒ/: knowledge

### As "oy"

*See main article: IPA phoneme /ɔɪ/*

* /ɔɪ/: boy - destroy - employ - enjoy - Joyce - royal - toy

## Silent "o"

* col**o**nel, jeopardy, Geoffrey, laborat**o**ry,*BrE* Leonard, leopard, people
* varisyllabic words ("o" is silent or it sounds /ə/): catholic, choc**o**late, corp**o**rate, comf**o**rtable /ˈkʌmfərtəbəl, ˈkʌmftəbəl, ˈkʌmftərbəl*AmE*/, Deborah, favorite*AmE*/favourite,*BrE* history, incorp**o**rate *(adj.),* lab**o**ratory,*AmE* temporary

## Homophones

* /əʊ/: lone - loan; no - know; poll - pole; roll - role; so - sew - sow; sole - soul;
* /ʌ/: none - nun; one - won; some - sum; son - sun;
* /ɔː/ all accents: bored - board; or - oar - ore; worn - warn;

only in some accents: shore - sure; stork - stalk
## Heteronyms

* compact /ˈkɒmpækt/ *(noun, adjective)*, /kəmˈpækt/ *(verb, adjective)*

## Variant pronunciations

* /ɒ,*AmE* ʌ*BrE*/: accomplice, accomplish
* /ɜː,*AmE* ʌ{{bre}/: thorough /ˈθɜːrəʊ,*AmE* ˈθʌrə*BrE*/, worry

## See also

* Decoding exercises: "or"
* Decoding exercises: "orr"
* Decoding exercises: "orV" and "orrV"
* Decoding exercises: "ov"
* Decoding exercises: "ao"
* Decoding exercises: "eo"
* Decoding exercises: "oo"
* Pronunciation exercises: /əʊ/ vs /ɒ/