How to tell /ɑː/ and /ʌ/ apart
Practice the difference between the long open vowel /ɑː/ and the short central vowel /ʌ/.
/ɑː/
Long A (ar)
cart /kɑːt/
A long, open back vowel. The mouth is wide open and the sound is held.
Common mistake: Learners often shorten /ɑː/, making cart sound like cut.
/ʌ/
Short U (uh)
cut /kʌt/
A short, central vowel. The mouth is relaxed and only slightly open.
Common mistake: Learners often make /ʌ/ too long or too open.
- •/ɑː/ is long and open: cart, heart, calm.
- •/ʌ/ is short and central: cut, hut, come.
- •Open your mouth wide for /ɑː/.
- •Keep /ʌ/ short and relaxed.
Minimal pairs
cart/kɑːt/
cut/kʌt/
heart/hɑːt/
hut/hʌt/
calm/kɑːm/
come/kʌm/