Decoding exercises: "ao"

The letter combination "ao" has several different pronunciations; however the only common word is extraordinary. This article sets out some words teachers can use to help their students become more aware of the differences.


 * /ɔː/: extraordinary
 * /aʊ/: Bilbao - cacao - ciao /tʃaʊ/ - Maoism /ˈmaʊɪzəm/ - Maori /ˈmaʊriː/ - Sao Paulo /ˌsaʊ ˈpaʊləʊ/ - Taoism
 * /aɪ/: gaol, now replaced by jail
 * /əʊ/: faraoh

Two different syllables

 * /eɪɒ/: chaos - chaotic - pharaonic
 * /eɪɔː/: aorta
 * /eɪəʊ/: baobab - Naomi /neɪˈoʊmiː, neɪˈoʊmaɪ, ˈneɪoʊˌmaɪ, ˈneɪoʊˌmiː/
 * /iːəʊ/: karaoke /ˌkæriːˈəʊkiː/

Variant pronunciations

 * Laos: /ˈlaʊs, ˈlɑːəʊs, ˈleɪɒs/