PHONETICS: /ɑ:/

In British English, the phonetic symbol /ɑ:/ corresponds to the vowel sound in words like "art" and "ask". It is called a long vowel. 

Some common words which practice the pronunciation of /ɑ:/ include the following:

• with "a": after - ask - bath - half - staff - task;
• with "ar": are - aren't - arm - art - bar - car - dark - farm - hard - harm - part - smart - star - start;
• others: aunt; heart; laugh;
• homophones: aren't/aunt

Many Spanish speakers have difficulty remembering that /ɑ:/ is pronounced the same whether there is an "r" after the "a" or not.

Written by Victoria Overton

Native English Spain is dedicated to make learning English simple, fun and affordable for Spanish people.