/ɔː/

long vowel

The Aw (law) Sound

as in door

How to make the /ɔː/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Round your lips into an open O.
  2. 2Pull the tongue back and slightly down.
  3. 3Hold the long, deep sound: "aww".

⚠ The most common mistake

Merging it with "ah" so "caught" sounds exactly like "cot" (fine in American, wrong in British).

Especially tricky for speakers of: Spanish, Hindi.

Train your ear: /ɔː/ vs /əʊ/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying door, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with /ɔː/

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More long vowels

See all 44 sounds of English →