The top ten mistakes that foreign speakers make #8: open vowels

Some foreign speakers talk with very closed mouths.  In English, we move our mouths a lot.  This means that we open them.  As one client stated, “you open your mouth REALLY WIDE!”

The short a and short o sounds are pronounced with a wide open mouth.  When you do not, open your mouth wide enough, the short a and short o sound like short u.  This makes a word sound different.

For example, bat (a) and bought (o) both become but.

To correct this mistake, just open your mouth more.  It is opened in a wide circle for the short a.  For the short o it is opened in a wide oval.

Try it…people with notice the difference!