Ao
From Teflpedia
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[edit | edit source]
- /eɪɒ/: chaos - chaotic - pharaonic
- /eɪɔː/: aorta
- /eɪəʊ/: baobab - Naomi /neɪˈoʊmiː, neɪˈoʊmaɪ, ˈneɪoʊmaɪ, ˈneɪoʊmiː/
- /iːəʊ/: karaoke /kæriːˈəʊkiː/
Variant pronunciations[edit | edit source]
- Laos: /ˈlaʊs, ˈlɑːəʊs, ˈleɪɒs/