Open Wide and Say AH

English pronunciation doesn’t always match English spelling. Many short words spelled with the letter O actually make a different sound, AH or /ä/. Practice these words to sound more natural in English!

To understand how to form the /ä/ sound and to see and hear it pronounced, watch the interactive diagram and listen to the model say it on this website: http://soundsofspeech.uiowa.edu. If you need help finding and navigating this website, here’s a demonstration video that will get you to the vowels section of the website.

Be sure to use a mirror as you imitate the jaw, lip, and tongue movements that the model makes.

And remember, /ä/ needs a large, relaxed mouth opening with a loose, low jaw. Your lower jaw should lower quite a bit for /ä/.

Words with Letter O Pronounced as AH