Ou

Pronounce as a single diphthong /aʊ/, similar to the word ‘out’ without the final t. Start with an open /a/ and glide to /ʊ/ with a smooth, quick movement of your lips. Stress is light since it’s an interjection; the whole sound should feel brisk and jaw-wide at onset, closing softly. IPA: /aʊ/. Audio examples: think of 'ow' in ‘how’ but longer and more forward in the mouth.

Common mistakes include turning /aʊ/ into a pure /a/ or a clipped /ʊ/ vowel, which makes it sound like ‘ah’ or ‘uh’. Another error is adding an awkward final consonant or breaking the diphthong into two abrupt sounds. To correct, practice a smooth glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ with minimal jaw movement and keep the mouth rounded only at the end of the glide.

Since /aʊ/ is a common diphthong, differences show in vowel quality and rhoticity. In US English, keep a fairly pronounced glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ with a non-rhotic tendency in some dialects; in UK English, the lip rounding is subtler and the starting position is a bit higher, sometimes making the sound feel 'closer' to /aʊ/ in ‘now’; Australian English lands between US and UK, with a slightly more centralized ending vowel and softer tongue movement. IPA references: US /aʊ/, UK /aʊ/, AU /aʊ/.

The difficulty lies in producing a clean, rapid diphthong /aʊ/ without over-elongation or reduction to a plain vowel. Beginners often cut the glide short or flatten the end to /ʊ/ too abruptly. Also, the lack of context in isolation can mask natural coarticulation. Focus on a fluid tongue path from an open /a/ toward a rounded /ʊ/ and practice with minimal pairs to stabilize the transition.

Is the final part of Ou a stable /ʊ/ ending or does it blend into a near schwa in rapid speech? In most standard practices, the diphthong ends on /ʊ/ with slight rounding; however, in rapid informal speech some speakers reduce the end toward a barely perceptible /ʊ/ or schwa. The critical cue is the movement from /a/ to /ʊ/ within a single syllable; ensure you keep the transition smooth and not abrupt or clipped.