Ao

The letter combination "ao" has several different pronunciations; however the only common word is extraordinary. This article sets out some words teachers can use to help their students become more aware of the differences.

• /ɔː/: extraordinary
• /aʊ/: Bilbao - cacao - ciao /tʃaʊ/ - Maoism /ˈmaʊɪzəm/ - Maori /ˈmaʊriː/ - Sao Paulo /saʊ ˈpaʊləʊ/ - Taoism
• /aɪ/: gaol,^BrE now replaced by jail
• /əʊ/: faraoh

Two different syllables

• /eɪɒ/: chaos - chaotic - pharaonic
• /eɪɔː/: aorta
• /eɪəʊ/: baobab - Naomi /neɪˈoʊmiː, neɪˈoʊmaɪ, ˈneɪoʊmaɪ, ˈneɪoʊmiː/
• /iːəʊ/: karaoke /kæriːˈəʊkiː/

Variant pronunciations

• Laos: /ˈlaʊs, ˈlɑːəʊs, ˈleɪɒs/