Sounds · American vowels
The O in go slides to “oo”
It starts at “oh”, as in home and know. The A in day and make slides too, from “eh” to “ee”.
O as in go → slides to ooA as in day → slides to ee
go
Hear it in words
How each word is written, and how Americans say it.
- nono
- homehome
- phonephone
- knowknow
- dayday
- rainrain
- namename
- latelate
- saysay
- Okay.Okay.
In a sentence
- Let's take a break. Let's take a break.
- I'll call you when I get home. I'll call you when I get home.
- No way! No way!
Careful with these
- Before R, the vowel does not move: more, four, care, there
- In a part that is not strong, it often becomes “uh”: police, o’clock
- The O in hot and the A in cat do not move: hot, job, cat, back
How to say it
- For go and home, start at “oh”, then round your lips more, toward “oo”.
- For day and make, start at “eh”, then lift your tongue toward “ee”.
- The move is longest at the end of a sentence: “I’ll go.” “No way.”
Listen for: The O in go moving at the end, toward “oo”, not staying flat.
Where to look for it
An O or A that sounds like its name: go, home, know, road; day, make, rain, great. Before R, the vowel does not move: more, care.
More about it
Before T or K, the move is shorter: boat, take. Before a vowel, the end becomes a tiny W or Y: go on, say it. Without the move, go and day are still understood; the move makes them American. Late and let, and low and law, have a pattern of their own, in Vowel pairs: Late or let? British English often starts the O in go with “uh”; American English starts with a round “oh”.
Teachers call this: Diphthongs: the GOAT and FACE vowels.
Listen for it today. When someone says “No way!” or “Okay”, listen for the move at the end.