How to tell /əʊ/ and /aʊ/ apart

Practice the difference between the diphthongs /əʊ/ (as in go) and /aʊ/ (as in now).

/əʊ/
Diphthong OH

boat /bəʊt/

A gliding vowel moving from /ə/ to /ʊ/, as in go.

Common mistake: Learners may pronounce /əʊ/ as /ɔː/ or /aʊ/.

/aʊ/
Diphthong OW

bout /baʊt/

A gliding vowel moving from an open /a/ to /ʊ/, as in now.

Common mistake: Learners may flatten /aʊ/ into a single vowel.

  • •/əʊ/ sounds like 'oh': boat, go, phone.
  • •/aʊ/ sounds like 'ow': bout, now, house.
  • •Start /əʊ/ with a neutral /ə/.
  • •Start /aʊ/ with an open /a/.

Minimal pairs

boat/bəʊt/
bout/baʊt/
no/nəʊ/
now/naʊ/
load/ləʊd/
loud/laʊd/