/əʊ/

diphthong

The Long O (go) Sound

as in go

How to make the /əʊ/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Start from a relaxed schwa (US: from "o")…
  2. 2…then round lips and glide to "oo".
  3. 3Keep it one smooth glide: "oh-oo".

⚠ The most common mistake

A pure short "o" with no glide — "coat" sounds clipped.

Especially tricky for speakers of: Spanish, Russian, Polish.

Train your ear: /əʊ/ vs /ɔː/

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

Practice: Record & Compare

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

Practice words with /əʊ/

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

More diphthongs

See all 44 sounds of English →