AW Sound: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games
The AW sound is written /ɔ/ in the phonetic alphabet, and most children master it by age 3. This guide covers how to make the AW sound, 42 practice words split across initial, medial, and final position, and the errors children make most often.
Example AW words: all, or, off, always (beginning); for, your, more, talk (middle); saw, law, draw, shaw (end).
The rounded "aw" vowel in saw, ball, dog and taught. The tongue is low and back like broad A, but the lips round. Note for families: many American speakers have the "cot–caught merger" and pronounce this exactly like broad A — if that is true in your household, treat the two as one sound rather than drilling a contrast your child never hears.
How to Make the AW Sound
Cue the lip rounding directly — "make a little circle with your lips". If your family merges cot and caught, skip minimal pairs like cot/caught and practise the words as vocabulary instead.
IPA Symbol: /ɔ/
Most children master the AW sound by age 3. Vowels come in earlier than most consonants: children generally have their full vowel system before the late-developing consonants such as /R/, /S/ and /TH/. Vowel errors are far less common than consonant errors, so one that is still there in a school-age child is worth raising with a speech-language pathologist.
Common AW Sound Errors
- Substituting the broad A sound (Broad A as in father) for the AW sound.
- Substituting the long O sound (Long O as in boat) for the AW sound.
AW Word Lists by Position
Practice these words organized by where the AW sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete AW word list.
Initial AW Words
AW at the beginning of words
Medial AW Words
AW in the middle of words
Final AW Words
AW at the end of words
More AW Word Lists & Resources
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