ɔ / o

Italian Open vs closed o

Open ò in 'donna', closed ó in 'nome' — meaning-distinguishing

VowelIPA: /ɔ / o/

Practice Words

donnanomebotte (barrel/blows)postasolecosanotteoratuttomondo

Accent-Specific Pronunciation Guide

How you approach this sound depends on your English accent. Find yours below for personalised coaching.

American English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Open o = your 'bought/caught'. Closed o = START of 'go', frozen. Italian distinguishes these.

Bridge from: bought (open), go (closed — clip) (ɔ / oʊ)

Common mistakes:

•Diphthong on closed o
•Cot-caught merger may blur open o

Drill sequence:

bought → donna
go → clip → nome

British English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

RP 'lot' is close to Italian open o. Freeze the start of 'goat' for closed o.

Bridge from: lot (open), goat (closed) (ɒ / əʊ)

Common mistakes:

•Diphthong glide

Drill sequence:

lot → donna
goat → freeze → nome

Australian / NZ English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Your 'hot' is open o. Clip the diphthong from 'go' for closed o — rounder starting point.

Bridge from: hot (open), go (closed) (ɔ / əʉ)

Common mistakes:

•Wide diphthong on go

Drill sequence:

hot → donna
go → round + freeze → nome

Irish English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Your 'lot' bridges to open o. If your 'go' is monophthongal, it's close to Italian closed o.

Bridge from: lot, go (ɒ / oː)

Common mistakes:

•Minor adjustments

Drill sequence:

lot → donna
go → nome

Scottish English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 1/5

Scottish English often maintains a clear open/closed o distinction with monophthongs. Your 'goat' may already be pure /o/. Near-direct transfer.

Bridge from: lot, goat (ɔ / o)

Common mistakes:

•Minimal

Drill sequence:

lot → donna
goat → nome (may match)

Indian English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Indian English may already distinguish these fairly clearly. Hindi ओ is close to Italian closed o. Your 'hot' bridges to open o.

Bridge from: hot, go (ɔ / o)

Common mistakes:

•Some regional variation

Drill sequence:

hot → donna
Hindi ओ → nome

South African English

Small AdjustmentDifficulty: 2/5

Same approach as RP. Clip the goat diphthong for closed o.

Bridge from: lot, goat (ɒ / əʊ)

Common mistakes:

•Diphthong

Drill sequence:

lot → donna
goat → freeze → nome

Nigerian / W. African English

Direct TransferDifficulty: 1/5

Direct transfer — same as Spanish and matching Yoruba's system. Yoruba distinguishes /ɔ/ (open) from /o/ (closed) as meaningful phonemes. Nigerian English maintains pure monophthongs. Your natural distinction IS the Italian distinction.

Bridge from: hot, go (ɔ / o)

Common mistakes:

•None — Yoruba 7-vowel system matches perfectly

Drill sequence:

Yoruba ɔ/o = Italian ɔ/o
hot = donna, go = nome

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you pronounce the Italian Open vs closed o?▾

The Italian Open vs closed o is written as ɔ / o in IPA. Open ò in 'donna', closed ó in 'nome' — meaning-distinguishing. The technique varies by your English accent — scroll down for personalised coaching for American, British, Australian, Irish, Scottish, Indian, South African, and Nigerian speakers.

Is the Italian Open vs closed o hard for English speakers?▾

It depends on your accent. For some English accents, this is a direct transfer (you already make this sound). For others, it's genuinely new. Check the accent-specific section below to see your difficulty rating.

What words use the Italian Open vs closed o sound?▾

Common practice words include: donna, nome, botte (barrel/blows), posta, sole, cosa. These are good starting points for drilling this sound.