Diphthongs are sounds that contain two sounds within one syllable. If you were to clap for each syllable while you say these words, the diphthong would be part of just one clap. Let’s learn how to pronounce the “ow” diphthong, as heard in words like cow and around.
How to Pronounce the “ow” Diphthong:
To make the “ow” (or phonetically /aʊ/) diphthong sound, you will need to know how to make the separate sounds of /a/ as in “start” and “arm”, and /ʊ/, as in “wolf” and “bull”, shortly after each other. In a diphthong, the sound slides from the one sound, in this case the /a/ to the /ʊ/. You may notice that your lips start to form a tight circle as you move from the /a/ sound to the /ʊ/ sound.
This sound is commonly used in both American and British English.
Examples of the “ow’ sound
You can find the “ow” (or /aʊ/) sound in many words that have an “ou” and “ow” spelling.
- Amount /əˈmaʊnt/
- Out /aʊt/
- Mouth /maʊθ/
- Now /naʊ/
- South /saʊθ/
- Cow /kaʊ/
- Vowel /ˈvaʊəl/
Need help?
For more on diphthongs, check out these articles:
- Introduction To Diphthongs
- /ɔɪ/ (Choice/Voice/Noise)
- /eɪ/ (Face/Make/Cake)
- /aɪ/ (Rice/Die/Bike)
- /oʊ/ (No, Low,Go)
- /eə/ (Bear, Square, Mare) (British English)
- /ɪə/ (Ear/Here/Near) (British English)
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