Not vs Note – /ɒ/ vs /əʊ/ (German Speakers)
German speakers often pronounce both sounds like German o.
English has two very different sounds:
/ɒ/ = short (not) — short, open, relaxed
/əʊ/ = long (note) — long glide, like "oh"
1. not vs note
not /nɒt/
[kurz wie: "offen"]
note /nəʊt/
[lang wie: "no"]
cot /kɒt/
coat /kəʊt/
hop /hɒp/
hope /həʊp/
rob /rɒb/
robe /rəʊb/
cod /kɒd/
code /kəʊd/
2. Minimal pairs
not /nɒt/
note /nəʊt/
hot /hɒt/
hope /həʊp/
cop /kɒp/
cope /kəʊp/
rod /rɒd/
road /rəʊd/
pop /pɒp/
pope /pəʊp/
sock /sɒk/
soak /səʊk/
shot /ʃɒt/
show /ʃəʊ/
lock /lɒk/
local /ləʊkəl/
cot /kɒt/
coat /kəʊt/
dot /dɒt/
dote /dəʊt/
3. German comparison
German mainly has one sound like o:
offen
kommen
Sonne
English splits this into two sounds:
not not not
note note note
hop hop hop
hope hope hope
cot cot cot
coat coat coat
4. Mouth position
/ɒ/ short
mouth open
short sound
not — hot — cop
/əʊ/ long
start relaxed → move to "oo"
long sound
note — hope — coat
Most important pairs
not
note
cot
coat
hop
hope
rob
robe
cod
code
cop
cope
rod
road
sock
soak
shot
show
dot
dote