The /ɔr/ vowel is not as easy as it may seem. Many non-native speakers have difficulty pronouncing it, as this vowel consists of two frequently distorted sounds. The spelling of /ɔr/ doesn’t help either, so this sound is often mispronounced and confused with other r-colored vowels. Compare: “arm” – “warm” or “our” – “four.”
In this video, you’ll learn how to make the /ɔr/ sound correctly and find out how to avoid typical pronunciation mistakes. There’s a pronunciation exercise recorded by a professional speech therapist to help you practice this sound in most commonly used words.
By the way, we have a website:
Quick Links:
• R-Colored vowel /ɔr/, as in “sport:” 00:00
• Recap from the R-colored vowels overview: 00:43
• How to make the /ɔr/ sound: 01:25
• Typical pronunciation mistakes: 03:34
• Pronunciation exercise: 05:08
• Spelling for the /ɔr/ sound: 08:54
Related Videos:
#AmericanPronunciation #VowelSounds #RColoredVowels
► R-Colored Vowel Sounds Overview:
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɝ / as in “first”:
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɚ / as in “after”:
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɪr / as in “hero”:
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɛr / as in “chair”:
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɑr / as in “car”:
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / ɔr / as in “for”: this video
► R-Colored Vowel Sound / aɪr / as in “fire”:
[THIS VIDEO HAS ENGLISH, JAPANESE, CHINESE, VIETNAMESE, KOREAN, AND PORTUGUESE SUBTITLES]
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Hello there! This is the “Sounds American” channel.
In this video, we’re going to talk about the American R-colored vowel /ɔr/, as in the word “sport.”
You can also hear this sound in words like “four,” “orange,” “port,” or “sword.”
We’ll be using special phonetic symbols — /ɔr/ — for this sound.
Let’s recap what we’ve learned in the R-Colored Vowels Overview video:
• The /ɔr/ is one of the seven American R-colored vowel sounds.
• The /ɔr/ is an R-colored diphthong…
• …and it’s made by merging the /ɔ/ and the /r/ sounds.
• As with all R-colored vowel sounds, the /ɔr/ is often distorted by non-native English speakers.
• The spelling for /ɔr/ could be confusing as this sound is represented by several different combinations of letters.
Now, let’s find out how to pronounce this R-colored vowel.
To make the /ɔr/ sound correctly, focus on pronouncing two sounds and making a smooth connection between them.
This is how you do that.
Start with making the /ɔ/ sound.
Open your mouth as wide as possible, and round your lips.
Now, let’s place your tongue in the correct position for the /ɔ/ vowel.
Flatten your tongue and pull it back. Place your tongue very low in your mouth.
By the way, there are some variations in how the vowel in the /ɔr/ sound could be pronounced.
It’s okay to place your tongue a little higher in your mouth and not pull it back as far, making a sound that falls somewhere in between the /oʊ/ and the /ɔ/ vowels.
For the rest of this video, we’ll stick with the /ɔ/ for the sake of simplicity.
The tip of your tongue should be touching the back of your bottom front teeth.
Next, connect the /ɔ/ to the /r/ sound with a long gliding movement.
Curl back the tip of your tongue.
Now, slightly lower the center of your tongue and raise its back.
Your tongue should be tensed.
Now, let’s color the /ɔ/ with the /r/ and blend the two sounds together: /ɔr/, /ɔr/, /ɔr/.
Let’s talk about the most typical mistakes that people make when pronouncing the /ɔr/ sound.
1. Many non-native English speakers reduce the /r/ sound in the /ɔr/ vowel.
This would be fine in British English, but an American accent requires the /r/ to be pronounced.
So, if you reduce the /r/, your American /ɔr/ sound will be distorted and it may lead to misunderstandings.
2. Some non-native speakers trill the /r/ in the /ɔr/. Remember, that’s not how Americans pronounce this sound!
Remember, Americans never trill their R-colored vowel sounds.
How do you avoid trilling? The tip of your tongue should never touch the alveolar ridge when you pronounce the R-colored sounds.
Remember, if you want to sound like an American, don’t reduce the /r/ when pronouncing the R-colored vowels and avoid trilling it.
[Pronunciation exercise]
• absorb
• adore
• airport
• before
• board
• born
• cord
• corn
• course
• door
• dwarf
• floor
• for
• force
• forehead
• foreign
• forest
• forget
• fork
• form
• forth
• glory
• horn
• horse
• inform
• more
• normal
• north
• northern
• order
• pork
• resource
• roar
• score
• shore
• short
• sport
• storm
• unicorn
• warm
source
🎉Great news!🎉 Our brand new Sounds American website is up and running!🚀🎊 There's lots of content on pronunciation.🤓You can start with the article about the /ɔr/ sound: https://soundsamerican.net/article/rcolored_vowel_sound_or_as_in_sport
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Why you guys don't have /ʊr/ as an r-colored vowel, like in sure /ʃʊr/?
Yay ,that’s Right I’m confused 😵💫 between them
That’s so so so hard for me 😢 😢
I can't make it i can't make it i just can't and I'm gonna cry
21 colors of vowels /j
I always watch your videos with my pets 😜🐶
Thanks for sharing this video. My accent is getting better ❤
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Practice more and learn more. Am I right?
It’s stupidly fun ! I think we cant spell « choir » like that. it is :ch-o-i-r [k-w-ai-ə] so « why » should be « o-i » and «h-o » should be « who » ?
The best channel. Thank you sir.
4:33 Indian accent 😂😂
Because of this channel I'm bow expert in pronouncing vowels thanks a lot for thr hard work ❤️
I was surprised to see "forget" on the list of / ɔr / words here, it doesn't belong. This was probably meant to be "forged." (See 7:04). In fact, it's pronounced "fr – gEt."
thanks
It’s super helpful!!!
All your videos are very interesting, thanks.
So the saw has the same vowel sound as in pour?
https://youtu.be/DFhFcCUGZGY
Sorry, but this vowel is no longer pronounced in Western American and Canadian English, on account of the cot/caught merger. Effectively, there are no "r-colored" vowels in American Standard English, but rather, vowels followed by r's. "Orange," in Oregon, is pronounced as "ornj."
You are awesome we are appreciate it 🙂
I love you guys, I've learned a lot information about pronunciation .
Thanks so much. Keep up with the good work.
please my teacher is there a video in the channel for this sound ɪə I saw it in the dictionary for the previous word prɪːvɪəs thanks in advance teacher
i found out words like mature and tour in the dictionary represents vowels symbol ʊə and i have been looking for a video for this sound in the channel with no result is that here in the channel
Year, with the trilled /r/ you sound like a real Russian 😀
Hwo can we understand when it will be e^r or er
Hi my name is Mihrte I'm interested your English language please let me know if you have any other suggestions l don't NO how to speak.
I had an American teacher who used to pronounce /ɔr/ as /ɔər/, four /fɔər/, more /mɔər/. I don't remember where he was from but he also had a strong r Pronunciation.
nice
Thanks 🙏 so much
Thank you for this video. But i feel that ɔr sound when you pronounce is the same as ɔːr in British accent. Because the /ɔ/ sound you pronounced that is the same as /ɔː/ because your lip opened smaller than its reality! I look forward to reveive your reply. Thank you so much!
Hey thank you for the video! I have a question, is there a link I can click so I can practice my pronunciation like in this video?
thanks <3333
The guy I tutor has a tough time with "or", so hopefully videos like this can help him learn how to make the sound!
I don't hear alot R sound at the end of this sound, is it true?
Sir, isn't it a combination of oʊ and r ? because it sounds like so, not saw, right? In examples there is 'four', not 'for' , so why is it a combination of ɔ and r ? While ɔ is used in words like on, cause, all… there's a difference between……. aww and oh?
kindly help 🙁
include Russian subtitles please!
You are the best.. anyvideo have this…our tongue inside for seeing our movements and can understand.you are unique.
Thank you!
Such good vid