The vowel sound /ɑ/

The /ɑ/: the deep, open American a

The /ɑ/ is the most open vowel in English — the one you make when a doctor asks you to open wide. It's deep, back and long, and it's one of the sounds that most identifies an American accent.

How it's made

• 👄 Mouth: wide open, jaw dropped, lips not rounded.
• 👅 Tongue: back and low, lying flat at the bottom of your mouth.
• 🔊 Voice: voiced and long, with the sound coming from the throat.

You hear it in: father · hot · dog · stop · lock

⚠️ The typical Spanish-speaker mistake: clipping it like a Spanish a, or rounding the lips by accident — which slides it toward /ɔ/ and makes hot sound like hought.

By the end you'll be able to: open wide enough and keep your lips loose, so father and hot sound American.