Lips
Start with your mouth wide open. As you glide, the lips move toward a round shape. The diagram shows the open start; the rounding comes during the sound.
Diphthongs
/aʊ/as in mouth
One gliding sound: open wide on "ah", then slide up to a light, rounded "uu". Open to round, in one motion.
Example words: mouth, now, house, down, town
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /aʊ/ sound?
Tongue
Start low. Glide the tongue up and back toward the high-back position while the voice continues.
Length
Long. The open "ah" is the long, strong part; the rounded ending is quick and light.
Video lesson
Try it
- Drop your jaw and start a big, open "ah".
- Without stopping, glide up and back while your lips round.
- Keep the ending soft: the start does the work.
- Try it in words: mouth, now, house.
Check
Say "now" slowly in a mirror. Your lips should visibly round by the end of the sound. If they never round, you froze on "ah"; if you hear two separate beats, blend them into one glide.
Common trap
Splitting it into two beats ("ah-oo"), or freezing on the open "ah" with no rounding, so "now" sounds like "nah".
Practice: /aʊ/
Words
mouthmˈaʊθ
nownˈaʊ
househˈaʊs
downdˌaʊn
towntˈaʊn
Sentences
We found a small house outside town.wˌi fˈaʊnd ɐ smˈɔl hˈaʊs ˌaʊtsˈaɪd tˈaʊn.
Sit down now and open your mouth.sˈɪt dˌaʊn nˈaʊ ænd ˈoʊpən jʊɹ mˈaʊθ.
The crowd was loud around the fountain.ðə kɹˈaʊd wʌz lˈaʊd əɹˈaʊnd ðə fˈaʊntən.
How did you get downtown so fast?hˌaʊ dˈɪd ju ɡɛt dˌaʊntˈaʊn sˌoʊ fˈæst?
The brown cow is lying on the ground.ðə bɹˈaʊn kˈaʊ ɪz lˈaɪɪŋ ˌɔn ðə ɡɹˈaʊnd.
Words
mouthmˈaʊθ
nownˈaʊ
househˈaʊs
downdˌaʊn
towntˈaʊn
Sentences
We found a small house outside town.wˌiː fˈaʊnd ɐ smˈɔːl hˈaʊs ˌaʊtsˈaɪd tˈaʊn.
Sit down now and open your mouth.sˈɪt dˌaʊn nˈaʊ and ˈəʊpən jɔː mˈaʊθ.
The crowd was loud around the fountain.ðə kɹˈaʊd wɒz lˈaʊd əɹˈaʊnd ðə fˈaʊntɪn.
How did you get downtown so fast?hˌaʊ dˈɪd juː ɡɛt dˌaʊntˈaʊn sˌəʊ fˈɑːst?
The brown cow is lying on the ground.ðə bɹˈaʊn kˈaʊ ɪz lˈaɪɪŋ ˌɒn ðə ɡɹˈaʊnd.
🔊 plays the app's native voice. 🎤 records you so you can play it back next to it. Your recording stays in your browser.
Sounds in the same group
Is /aʊ/ one of yours?
Accenty listens to you speak and shows the sounds you miss, in American or British English.
