spohk
/spoʊk/
spoke is pronounced spohk (/spoʊk/). Spoke is the simple past tense of speak, referring to uttering words in the past. It denotes a completed act of communicating or expressing something verbally. The form is a short, closed syllable that contrasts with the present tense speak, and it often appears in narrative or reported speech to indicate what was said.
Spoke is the simple past tense of speak, referring to uttering words in the past. It denotes a completed act of communicating or expressing something verbally. The form is a short, closed syllable that contrasts with the present tense speak, and it often appears in narrative or reported speech to indicate what was said.
- You might default to a short /o/ like in 'spot' instead of the longer /oʊ/ diphthong. Focus on letting the vowel glide from mid/low to high with rounding as it approaches /ʊ/ rounded position before the /k/ closure, then release cleanly. - People often add extraneous vowel sounds or misplace the tongue for the /k/ by not touching the velum correctly; ensure a crisp, voiceless velar stop with the back of the tongue contacting the soft palate and a quick release. - Another common error is laryngeal voicing differences; stay voiceless at the /k/ to avoid adding a subtle vowel after the consonant. Practice with minimal pairs to lock the final consonant.
"During the meeting, she spoke about the new policy for an hour."
"Yesterday he spoke with the manager to clarify the schedule."
"If you spoke to them, please relay the message."
You pronounce it as /spoʊk/. It’s a single stressed syllable with a long /oʊ/ vowel, followed by the voiceless /k/. The lips start rounded for the /oʊ/ and close to form the /k/ closure at the end. Practically, say 'spohk' with a crisp, explosive ending. IPA: US /spoʊk/, UK /spəʊk/, AU /spəʊk/.
Common errors include shortening the vowel to a lax /o/ like 'spok' with a dull vowel, and adding a separate /ə/ before the /ʊ/ or misplacing the tongue for /oʊ/. Another trap is pronouncing it with a /ə/ in stressless positions. To correct: ensure a pure /oʊ/ sequence without gliding to /ɪ/ or /ə/; keep the tongue high-mid for the long diphthong and finish with a clean /k/ without voicing.
In US English, /spoʊk/ with a clear rhotic influence on surrounding words is common, but /spəʊk/ in many British varieties reflects a more centralized /əʊ/. Australian pronunciation often leans toward /spəʊk/ with less vowel height variation than American speakers. The main difference is the starting vowel quality and length of the diphthong, while the final /k/ remains voiceless. IPA references: US /spoʊk/, UK /spəʊk/, AU /spəʊk/.
Spoke hinges on a precise diphthong /oʊ/ that moves from mid-back to close-mid with lip rounding. Beginners often compress the diphthong to a shorter /o/ or misarticulate the /k/ closure, producing an alveolar stop replacement or a voiced ending. We call this a 'glide' error: not letting the vowel glide smoothly to the close position before the /k/. Focus on maintaining a unified vowel trajectory and crisp /k/ release.
The word contains a single stressed syllable and ends in a voiceless velar plosive /k/. The lack of a following vowel means you should avoid vocalic reductions; keep the vowel length relatively steady rather than letting it shorten before the final consonant. Also, in connected speech, boundary effects can cause a slight tensing before /k/ or a light aspiration depending on the following word.
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- US: Pronounce /spoʊk/ with a rounded, high-to-mid back vowel; ensure the diphthong’s glide is smooth and not truncated. Place your tongue high behind the teeth; lips round to start the diphthong, then relax into a neutral position for the /k/. - UK: Often a slightly more centralized diphthong /spəʊk/; the starting vowel may be less open and the mouth shape remains relatively relaxed through the glide. Expect less pronounced lip rounding after the starting position, but maintain a crisp /k/. - AU: Similar to UK but with more centralized starting point, sometimes with slightly more modal vowel quality; practice to keep the /k/ release strong and avoid vowel prolongation or a following syllable-influenced vowel.
Spoke derives from speak, with the past tense formed historically as a separate verb form in the Germanic family. Its lineage traces to Old English spea or specan, and Proto-Germanic *sprekanan, evolving through Middle English as spaken or spake before standardized modern past tense spoke. The root word speak carries the core meaning of producing language or utterance. Over centuries, early English distinguished strong past forms via vowel shifts and consonant changes, aligning with similar strong verbs in Germanic languages. The spelling shift to spoke settled in the Early Modern English period as spelling became more standardized while pronunciation adjusted to a single-syllable past tense form. First known uses appear in Old English texts and later appear in Middle English grammars as the irregular past tense of speak, indicating a verb form used for narration of past speech acts. In contemporary English, spoke remains a core irregular verb, with emphasis on the vowel /oʊ/ and the single syllable structure, often contrasted with spoke’s phonetic sister break and woke in past tense patterns across Germanic languages.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "spoke" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "spoke" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "spoke"
-oke sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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