IELTS Pronunciation Practice: Diphthongs /aʊ/ and /əʊ/

Technique

How to say it

1
For /aʊ/, open your mouth wide as if saying 'ah' and glide smoothly into rounded lips for /ʊ/.
2
For /əʊ/, start with your tongue relaxed in the middle of your mouth on a schwa /ə/ before rounding your lips towards /ʊ/.
3
Ensure the starting vowel sound is slightly longer and stronger than the closing glide.
4
Pay close attention to spelling patterns, as 'ow' can represent either diphthong depending on the word.

8 pairs

Minimal pairs

Say each pair aloud. If the two words sound the same when you record yourself, slow down and go back to the steps above.

now/no
loud/load
town/tone
found/phoned
bout/boat
foul/foal
rouse/rose
howl/hole

12 sentences

Practice lines from IELTS-style answers

1
I don't know how to drive, so I go by coach now.
/əʊ/ in don't, know, go, coach; /aʊ/ in how, now
2
Most homes in my hometown are quite crowded and noisy though.
/əʊ/ in most, homes, though; /aʊ/ in hometown, crowded
3
We found a lovely old hotel down by the south coast.
/aʊ/ in found, down, south; /əʊ/ in old, hotel, coast
4
I hope to open my own bakery around town fairly soon.
/əʊ/ in hope, open, own; /aʊ/ in around, town
5
To be honest, nobody told me how loud the crowd would be.
/əʊ/ in nobody, told; /aʊ/ in how, loud, crowd
6
I chose to study abroad without knowing how tough it would get.
/əʊ/ in chose, knowing; /aʊ/ in without, how
7
Although public transport is slow, it allows me to relax after work.
/əʊ/ in although, slow; /aʊ/ in allows
8
Our local council is going to build thousands of eco-friendly houses.
/əʊ/ in going, eco-; /aʊ/ in council, thousands, houses
9
I only phoned my parents about an hour ago from my flat.
/əʊ/ in only, phoned, ago; /aʊ/ in about, hour
10
There is no doubt that social media promotes a lot of trends.
/əʊ/ in no, social, promotes; /aʊ/ in doubt
11
I rarely go out now because I prefer staying home alone.
/əʊ/ in go, home, alone; /aʊ/ in out, now
12
They showed us around the ground floor of the whole museum.
/əʊ/ in showed, whole; /aʊ/ in around, ground

Say it in a real answer

Record an IELTS Speaking answer and get a Pronunciation band from the AI examiner, with the exact words that were hard to understand.

Watch out

Common mistakes

→Speakers often substitute a flat single vowel /o/ instead of gliding smoothly through /əʊ/.
→Learners frequently mispronounce 'ow' words by using /aʊ/ in words like 'slow' or /əʊ/ in words like 'allow'.
→Many candidates do not open the jaw wide enough at the start of /aʊ/, making it sound too similar to /əʊ/.

In the exam: When using common discourse markers like 'so', 'although', or 'as you know', remember to glide fully through the /əʊ/ sound rather than clipping it short.

Frequently asked questions

How much does pronunciation count in IELTS Speaking?+

A quarter of your Speaking band. Examiners judge how easy you are to understand and how well you use features like stress, rhythm and intonation, not whether you sound British or American.

Do I need a native accent for Band 8?+

No. An accent is fine at every band. What matters is that individual sounds are clear, stress falls on the right syllables and your intonation helps the listener follow you.

How should I practise these lines?+

Read each line slowly, then at natural speed, then record yourself and compare. Say the sentences in a real answer next, because examiners hear your pronunciation while you think, not while you read.

Keep practising

More vowel sounds practice

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