Lesson 2

How to say it - /ɜː/ & /ɔː/ sounds

Introduction

ː/ sound

This is the sound of the 'ir' in 'bird' and the 'or' in 'word'.

It is very easy to confuse the shape of the vowel /ɜː/ with the consonant /ʒ/. The differences are:

ː/ sound

This is a long vowel sound. It sounds like the 'or' in 'horse' /hɔːs/, the 'a' in 'ball' /bɔːl/, the 'ou' in 'four' /fɔː/ or the 'au' in 'caught' /kɔːt/.

The shape of /ɔː/ looks like a horse shoe (/hɔːrs ʃuː/).

Video of Mouth

Follow the instructions as they appear in the video.

ː/ sound

 

ː/ sound



Pronunciation Tips

ː/ sound

 

ː/ sound