What is the /ɑ/ Sound?
First, let's look at a few examples of words with the English /ɑ/ sound:
- object
- olive
- object
- fox
- knock
- pond
According to Baruch College's Tools for Clear Speech, the /ɑ/ sound is made by doing the following:
"Your tongue should be positioned low in your mouth, and shifted toward the back. Your mouth should be open wider than /ʌ/ or /o/. Vibrate your vocal cords and push air from your mouth."
If you need more help articulating the /ɑ/ sound, check out this video to learn the correct tongue and mouth placement.
Practicing the /ɑ/ Sound
Everything you need to pronounce the English /ɑ/ sound correctly is on this page. Just follow the instructions.
What do you have to do?
Practice for 5 minutes a day for 7 days.
That’s it.
Your goal is to pronounce the /ɑ/ sound clearly and easily by the end of day 7.
Let’s do it!
This guide to the American English /ɑ/ sound is full of useful information. Click the link below to jump to the part you are looking for:
- Day 1 of the /ɑ/ sound
- Day 2 of the /ɑ/ sound
- Day 3 of the /ɑ/ sound
- Day 4 of the /ɑ/ sound
- Day 5 of the /ɑ/ sound
- Day 6 of the /ɑ/ sound
- Day 7 of the /ɑ/ sound
- Additional /ɑ/ sound resources
- PDF download of the /ɑ/ sound
Day 1: The /ɑ/ Sound
If you are ready, let’s start with the practice for day one.
It’s pretty simple.
Watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /ɑ/ sound and similar sounds like /əʊ/ or /ɔ:/.
- rod - road
- hop - hope
- cot - caught
- sot - sort
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- hot - heart - hat - heat
- sock - soak - seek - sick
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- product
- rocky
- obviously
- tropical
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- We have to go to the shop to get the product.
- Should he wear shoes and socks on this rocky trail?
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- The online octopi shop for socks.
- John Yon conned Bond with a bond. Come on Bond.
Day 2: The /ɑ/ Sound
Just like day one, except simpler.
Watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /ɑ/ sound and similar sounds like /α:/ or /ɔ:/.
- hot - heart
- cot - cart
- spot - sport
- cod - cord
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- moss - moose - morse
- dog - dig - dug
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- modeling
- option
- octopus
- offload
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- Give me an orange, you obviously have more.
- I bet you would prefer to be in a tropical forest.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Knott was shot and Shott was not.
- You ought to stop the shock on the lock on the spot.
Day 3: The /ɑ/ Sound
Today will be the last day you only listen and repeat.
Tomorrow, you will have to start to speak.
But let’s focus on today.
Just like yesterday, watch the video and follow along.
Listen and repeat.
🔊 Click here to listen to the audio version
Minimal Pairs
Your Goal: To feel the difference between the /ɑ/ sound and similar sounds like /ɔ:/ or /əʊ/.
- pot - port
- shot - short
- not - note
- rob - robe
Vowel Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also improving your pronunciation of the English vowel sounds.
- not - night - note - naught
- on - own - in - an
Syllable Stress Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also developing a better understanding of proper syllable stress.
- shopkeeper
- orange
- rockfish
- product
Reduced Sounds Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while also working on linking words and phrases together.
- Who did you meet from the modeling industry?
- I don’t know which option to stock.
Tongue Twister Collection
Your Goal: To practice the /ɑ/ sound while improving your speaking speed and enunciation.
- Dolly wants an office job.
- We don’t and won’t stop the frog’s slog.
Day 4: The /ɑ/ Sound
Time to speak.
You will notice that these are the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day one.
Today, your job is different.
Open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing and speak.
Watch the video to see how it works.
- rod - road
- hop - hope
- cot - caught
- sot - sort
- hot - heart - hat - heat
- sock - soak - seek - sick
- product
- rocky
- obviously
- tropical
- We have to go to the shop to get the product.
- Should he wear shoes and socks on this rocky trail?
- The online octopi shop for socks.
- John Yon conned Bond with a bond. Come on Bond.
Day 5: The /ɑ/ Sound
Let’s revisit the words, phrases, and sentences you practiced on day two.
Just like yesterday, open up a Google Doc, enable voice typing, and get ready to speak.
Let’s do it!
- hot - heart
- cot - cart
- spot - sport
- cod - cord
- moss - moose - morse
- dog - dig - dug
- modeling
- option
- octopus
- offload
- Give me an orange, you obviously have more.
- I bet you would prefer to be in a tropical forest.
- Knott was shot and Shott was not.
- You ought to stop the shock on the lock on the spot.
TIP*** Are there some words that the computer does not understand no matter how many times you say them? No worries, just skip it and move on. No one is perfect.
Day 6: The /ɑ/ Sound
You are so close to day 7.
Be proud that you have made it this far :)
In today’s lesson, let’s circle back to the words, phrases, and sentences you repeated on day three and practice saying them aloud.
- not - night - note - naught
- on - own - in - an
- shopkeeper
- orange
- rockfish
- product
- Who did you meet from the modeling industry?
- I don’t know which option to stock.
- Dolly wants an office job.
- We don’t and won’t stop the frog’s slog.
Day 7: The /ɑ/ Sound
Congratulations!!!
You have made it to the very last day of this /ɑ/ sound practice course.
Do you feel like your pronunciation of this sound is improving?
Let’s finish with a simple, but challenging exercise.
Just like you did on days 4, 5, and 6, open up a Google Doc and enable voice typing.
This time, try to get the technology to recognize these six tongue twisters.
- The online octopi shop for socks.
- John Yon conned Bond with a bond. Come on Bond.
- Knott was shot and Shott was not.
- You ought to stop the shock on the lock on the spot.
- Dolly wants an office job.
- We don’t and won’t stop the frog’s slog.
Now, turn voice typing off and try to say each tongue twister as fast as possible.
Watch the video to learn how to go through this exercise.
Additional Resources: The /ɑ/ Sound
Words with the /ɑ/ sound
| Beginning | Middle | End |
| on | not | |
| ox | box | |
| octopus | fox | |
| olive | knock | |
| object | block | |
| operate | bottle | |
| obligation | pond | |
| opposition | rock | |
| occupation | shop | |
| operation | sock | |
| obnoxious | drop | |
| opportune | rod | |
| obstinate | dot | |
| oxygen | pot | |
| oxygenate | knot | |
| obstacle | stop | |
| offer | wash | |
| offering | watch | |
| opposite | tropical | |
| optional | body | |
| option | model | |
| obsolete | product | |
| optimist | bot | |
| onscreen | stock | |
| ongoing | smog | |
| onboard | job | |
| onstage | knot | |
| omelet | doctor | |
| obligate | rob | |
| omnibus | contact |
Minimal Pair Collection
Minimal Pair /ɒ/ and /əʊ/ not note
rod - road
hop - hope
not - note
rob - robe
pop - pope
cost - coast
on - own
stock - stoke
pop - Pope
sock - soak
Minimal Pair /ɒ/ and /ɔ:/ cot caught
cot - caught
sot - sort
spot - sport
cod - cord
pot - port
shot - short
moss - morse
con - corn
bot - bought
troll - trawl
/α:/ and /ɒ/ (heart/hot)
heart - hot
cart - cot
cald - cough
dark - dock
carp - cop
clerk - clock
mark - mock
shark - shock
sharp - shop
harp - hop
Vowel Collection
hot - heart - hat - heat
sock - soak - seek - sick
moss - moose - morse - mice
dog - dig - dug
not - night - note - naught
on - own - in - an
Syllable Stress Collection
- product
- rocky
- obviously
- tropical
- modeling
- option
- octopus
- offload
- shopkeeper
- orange
- rockfish
- product
Reduced Sounds Collection
- We have to go to the shop to get the product.
- Should he wear shoes and socks on this rocky trail?
- Give me an orange, you obviously have more.
- I bet you would prefer to be in a tropical forest.
- Who did you meet from the modeling industry?
- I don’t know which option to stock.
Tongue Twister Collection
- The online octopi shop for socks.
- John Yon conned Bond with a bond. Come on Bond.
- Knott was shot and Shott was not.
- You ought to stop the shock on the lock on the spot.
- Dolly wants an office job.
- We don’t and won’t stop the frog’s slog.
Additional Resources
- Tools for Clear Speech /ɑ/ profile
- American English Pronunciation vowel sound /ɑ/
- TEFLpedia /ɑ/ sound
Additional Activities for All Sounds
Practice Three Words
Answer the following question:
What do you like to do in your free time?
Pick one, two, or three words from the word bank and include them in your response. If it helps, you may write out the example sentences with the word in context first.
Youglish Research
Visit the Youglish website. Pick a word or phrase you would like to practice. Enter it into the Youglish search bar. Find three examples of the word or phrase in context to shadow.
Teacher Time
During your next English speaking practice session with a teacher or conversation partner, have a list of three to five words you would like to use. Give yourself a point every time you use the word correctly in context and it is understood. Aim to score 5 points within the first 10 minutes (so the rest of the time you focus just on communicating).
Voice Typing
Write out three sentences with challenging words or phrases. Use Google Docs or any other software with the ability to turn speech to text. Read these sentences aloud and check to see if your pronunciation is correct.
***There are a ton of possibilities. These are just a few ideas. Use the word bank, tongue twisters, example sentences, and other resources on this page to continue to work on this sound.
If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments below. I read and respond to all of them.
Download the PDF version of this 7-day mini-course.
Plus the PDF-version of every single English sound for free.
