Sounds · American vowels
The O in hot sounds like “ah”
This happens in the strong part. Your lips stay relaxed, not round.
O + consonant → ah
hot haht
Hear it in words
How each word is written, and how Americans say it.
- jobjahb
- stopstahp
- toptahp
- boxbahx
- mommahm
- possiblepahssible
- hospitalhahspital
- popularpahpular
- productprahduct
- technologytechnahlogy
- dollardahllar
- spotspaht
In a sentence
- Let's stop for lunch. Let's stahp for lunch.
- Is this in stock? Is this in stahck?
- Mom, I'm home! Mahm, I'm home!
Careful with these
- In some words, O sounds like “oh”: go, home, phone, both
- In some words, O sounds like “uh”: love, son, money, come
- In some words, O sounds like “oo”: do, who, move, lose
How to say it
- Drop your jaw and open your mouth, as for “ah” at the doctor’s.
- Hot has the vowel of father. Say father, then hot: the vowel is the same.
Listen for: An open “ah” in hot, with relaxed lips, not round.
Where to look for it
An O with a consonant after it, in the strong part: hot, job, stop, body, possible. Before R, O sounds like “or”: for, more, short.
More about it
Many Americans say dog, long and coffee with “ah” too; others round it a little. Both are American. In British English, hot and father have different vowels; in American English, both have “ah”.
Teachers call this: The LOT vowel, unrounded; the father–bother merger.
Listen for it today. When someone says “It’s hot” or “my job”, listen for the open “ah”.