/ɑ/ as in "dog"
/ɑ/ is a low back vowel of General American English, as in "dog" and "box." To produce it, jaw open, tongue pulled back and low. Phoneme provides native-speaker audio and minimal-pair contrasts so learners can hear and practice this vowel.
/ɑ/
dogalso: box
How to make /ɑ/
low back vowel — jaw open, tongue pulled back and low.
Also written as
- /ɔ/
- the THOUGHT vowel (law, dog) in dictionaries that keep the cot–caught distinction; Phoneme merges it
- /ɒ/
- the British RP LOT vowel (hot, dog), a different, rounded vowel
- /ɑː/
- with a length mark in British dictionaries (car, father)
Sounds that learners confuse with /ɑ/
Minimal pairs for /ɑ/
| /ɑ/ | /æ/ |
|---|---|
| caught | cat |
| hot | hat |
| bog | bag |
| top | tap |
| cop | cap |
| pot | pat |
| mop | map |
| lock | lack |
| /ɑ/ | /ə/ |
|---|---|
| cop | cup |
| lock | luck |
| caught | cut |
| log | lug |
| hog | hug |
| gone | gun |
| pot | putt |
| bog | bug |