Feb. 22, 2026
GOAT
This weekend, I finally had some time to work on my American pronunciation. I watched a couple of videos about the so-called ''GOAT'' vowel, a diphthong you guys pronounce in the word ''goat''. A few people have already pointed out that I tend to mispronounce this vowel, so this was my main focus yesterday.
Last summer was the first time I started working on my accent. Back then, I had a rather thick Russian accent, and as with almost everything I undertake, I started learning about phonetics on my own. I think a lot of people neglect this aspect of language learning and don't pay enough attention to their pronunciation at the very beginning, therefore ingraining incorrect pronunciation habits. Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I need to put in in order to get to my goal, speaking General American. In order to not make the same mistake again, I started working on my German pronunciation from day one. Over time, I also learned to read IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which can come very handy when dealing with rare words and old dictionaries.
1) (goat, boat, coat, road, home, hope, rope, soap, nose, rose, close, stone, phone, bone, tone, broke, woke, spoke, smoke, joke, choke, note, vote, wrote, code) - https://voca.ro/1khiCuug8CJT
2) me reading the second paragraph out loud - https://voca.ro/1e0PtlYZjPSy
If you're from the US or Canada, I'd really appreciate you pointing out any mistakes I might've made during the recording. Big thanks in advance!
I think a lot of people neglect this aspect of language learning and don't pay enough attention to their pronunciation at the very beginning, thereforeby ingraining incorrect pronunciation habits.
"therefore" vs "thereby" is a little tricky to explain the difference, but because "ingraining" is an ongoing process, I think "thereby" is more natural than "therefore" here.
Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I need to put in in order to get to my goal, speaking with a General American accent.
"speaking X" is only really used for languages, not for accents or dialects.
Over time, I also learned to read IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which can come in very handy when dealing with rare words and old dictionaries.
Feedback
I've been learning Japanese for a few years, and I think I'm pretty good at reading it, ok at listening and writing it, but my pronounciation is terrible so I feel you there! I have some lessons with a tutor coming up to try work on that.
Feb. 25, 2026
The later you start, the harder it gets.. As always, big thanks for your helpful corrections!
This weekend, I finally had some time to work on my American pronunciation.
I watched a couple of videos about the so-called ''GOAT'' vowel, a diphthong you guys pronounce in the word ''goat''.
A few people have already pointed out that I tend to mispronounce this vowel, so this was my main focus yesterday.
Last summer was the first time I started working on my accent.
Back then, I had a rather thick Russian accent, and as with almost everything I undertake, I started learning about phonetics on my own.
I think a lot of people neglect this aspect of language learning and don't pay enough attention to their pronunciation at the very beginning, therefore ingraining incorrect pronunciation habits.
Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I need tomust now put in in order to get toreach my goal, of speaking General American English.
In order to not make the same mistake again, I started working on my German pronunciation from day one.
Over time, I also learned to read IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which can come very handy when dealing with rare words and old dictionaries.
Feedback
To my ear, your pronunciation is much closer to British RP (əʊ) than generic American pronunciation (oʊ). There are some small pockets of the US that lean more toward the schwa (ə) sound at the start of the diphthong, notably in coastal North Carolina, but it is not the norm. If it's helpful, here's my native pronunciation of your example word list https://voca.ro/19FhKA2j2o6J
Feb. 23, 2026
It helps a lot, thank you, frozendish!
GOAT
This weekend, I finally had some time to work on my American pronunciation.
I watched a couple of videos about the so-called ''GOAT'' vowel, a diphthong you guys pronounce in the word ''goat''.
A few people have already pointed out that I tend to mispronounce this vowel, so this was my main focus yesterday.
Last summer was the first time I started working on my accent.
Back then, I had a rather thick Russian accent, and as with almost everything I undertake, I started learning about phonetics on my own.
I think a lot of people neglect this aspect of language learning and don't pay enough attention to their pronunciation at the very beginning, therefore ingraining incorrect pronunciation habits.
Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I need to put in in order to get to my goal, speaking General American.
In order to not make the same mistake again, I started working on my German pronunciation from day one.
Over time, I also learned to read IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which can come very handy when dealing with rare words and old dictionaries.
Feedback
Oh no... that's actually the British pronunciation. I listened to the second vocaroo first, so when you said "on my OWN" I was like "Why did this suddenly switch from an American accent to an English accent?" xD
When you said "in order to" it was a little hard to understand, it got kind of slurred and became "inerjer to," I would enunciate the "or" in "order" longer and more clearly
I also agree with the rising intonation on some parts sound out of place, like when you say "undertake," and "mistake."
Some parts sound completely American, and in others I can hear the Russian come through (I think the pronunciation of R is a big factor), it's really interesting.
Feb. 22, 2026
I have a few Canadian friends I've talked with but none who had an accent where they pronounced "goat" and such like that, but maybe in some specific areas they have this accent? But to me, it sounds straight up British.
Feb. 23, 2026
The problem with raising my pitch is also something that had been pointed out to me before. I tried to subdue it this time, only reading the the two sentences you gave your feedback on: https://voca.ro/1A8Fqme2JRLc
I'll also try to pay more attention to the R constant next time. I really appreciate your help!
Feb. 23, 2026
I hear a big improvement on those two sentences: the sounds are clearer and more accurate and the intonation or cadence is more natural to my ear. Great job applying feedback!
Feb. 23, 2026
It's definitely an improvement. Somewhat ironically, "mistake" sounds perfect in the new recording.
GOAT
This weekend, I finally had some time to work on my American pronunciation.
I watched a couple of videos about the so-called ''GOAT'' vowel, a diphthong you guys pronounce in the word ''goat''.
A few people have already pointed out that I tend to mispronounce this vowel, so this was my main focus yesterday.
Last summer was the first time I started working on my accent.
Back then, I had a rather thick Russian accent, and as with almost everything I undertake, I started learning about phonetics on my own.
I think a lot of people neglect this aspect of language learning and don't pay enough attention to their pronunciation at the very beginning, therefore ingraining incorrect pronunciation habits.
Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I need to put in in order to get to my goal, speaking General American.
In order to not make the same mistake again, I started working on my German pronunciation from day one.
Over time, I also learned to read IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which can come very handy when dealing with rare words and old dictionaries.
Feedback
Listening to the recording, I'm noticing your pronunciation of "o" is a bit odd, in all of those GOAT diphthongs but also words like "goal". However, I'm not a linguist and I barely know any IPA, so unfortunately, I can't really help much there. You also have a habit of raising your pitch at the end of some non-question sentences, which is generally something you want to try to avoid. Other than that, though, despite my nitpicks, your pronunciation is actually very good!
One very general piece of advice I can give, along with listening to native speakers and how they talk of course, is to simply listen to yourself. I used to pronounce many words really strangely, especially 'r' sounds like in "recording", until I finally started recording and listening back to videos of myself.
Feb. 23, 2026
Thank you so much!!
Feedback
I’m sorry, but that’s not a standard American pronunciation of “goat” (or of those other “long O” words). Here’s what I’m used to hearing:
https://media.merriam-webster.com/audio/prons/en/us/mp3/g/goat0001.mp3
Perhaps you’re going for a Canadian pronunciation? They do use some diphthongs where Americans don’t, although I have no idea how Canadians pronounce “goat.”
Feb. 22, 2026
If possible, I encourage you to use the source @JoeTofu provided to practice repeating all the words on your list.
Here are a few other practice suggestions to try:
1. Practice open vowels first: "go, no, so, oh," starting with real words.
2. Divide words on your list into two parts, so the first part has one letter and an open vowel: go--, bo--, co--, ro--, ho-- (Skip the words that start with two letters for now.) Practice those open vowel half words.
3. Add the endings to those words, but say the vowel sound for an extended time and almost whisper or swallow the end sound that you close down on. (My hypothesis is that the ending sounds may be contributing to the distortion of the vowel sounds before them.)
4. If you think your pronunciation is slipping as you are practicing, either drop back to repeat a practice you have mastered and then try again, or take a break.
5. Follow the same sequence with the words that start with two letters: "clo--, sto--, bro--, sp--, sm--, ch--"
6. Make another Vocaroo and compare with this one.
7. Make a new list of words that have the target sound in the beginning OR the middle, taking them from posts you have written on LangCorrect.
Feb. 23, 2026
Thank you for your feedback and the source, @JoeTofu!
Feb. 23, 2026
Do these sound a tiny better now, @Liag ? https://voca.ro/18X0Z4SD7gz1
I'll definitely follow your suggestions, many thanks for your help and time!!
Feb. 23, 2026
a tiny bit*
Feb. 23, 2026
Nope. They do not. Try forming a tight small circle with your lips and holding them in place while you try say the long o sound. This is an exaggeration, but in general I would say a circle is the shape to aim for and you make it smaller as you end the sound. To me, it sounds like your lips may be too open. Another point is where the sound forms. For me, it's comes from the back of the throat, resonates in the back of the mount, and is held back or contained by a closing action of the jaw. If I put the back of my hand under my chin when I say the vowel sound, I feel a slight quick downward pressure on my hand. Maybe you can find some video of mouth shape for this sound? I think that would really help. Once you get one syllable that you can say perfectly, you can use it as an anchor to practice rhyming words and words that have it as a syllable.
Another practice idea I had was double syllables with the vowel sound. There are a few real words and expressions, such as bozo, cocoa, dodo, ho, ho, ho, no-go, no-no, polo, solo, yo-yo; and you can make nonsense words to practice.
I would be curious if it is easier for you to get the pronunciation you want if the sound is the first syllable in a longer word. For example, what about "donut, donate, donation; hopeful, hopeless; motion, potion, rotate, open, opening, etc.? (BTW I am not differentiation between the long o vowel sound and the dipthong that sounds like it because that can be a very subtle difference. Often I don't even hear it. I'm just thinking "long o."
Feb. 23, 2026
An update needed in LangCorrect is the ability to edit these messages! GRRR
mount = mouth
etc.? = etc.?"
differentiation = differentiating
"long o." = "long o.")
Feb. 23, 2026
Here are some tips and practice ideas from a speech pathologist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvocVRIe8B4
Here is how we teach the sound to beginning readers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2nH1KfOVXA&list=PLP0Jx6HgNkTIsZchcc_ITuR75g4IHzxQ4&index=1 (This guy, Drew Badger, has a huge number of YouTube videos and has worked as a teacher, CEO, and publisher in Japan, but I can find no specific credentials for him.)
Feb. 23, 2026
It will take quite a while to go through all this, but I'll let you know when I am ready to share my progress. My gratitude to you is ineffable!
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GOAT This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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This weekend, I finally had some time to work on my American pronunciation. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
I watched a couple of videos about the so-called ''GOAT'' vowel, a diphthong you guys pronounce in the word ''goat''. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
A few people have already pointed out that I tend to mispronounce this vowel, so this was my main focus yesterday. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Last summer was the first time I started working on my accent. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Back then, I had a rather thick Russian accent, and as with almost everything I undertake, I started learning about phonetics on my own. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
I think a lot of people neglect this aspect of language learning and don't pay enough attention to their pronunciation at the very beginning, therefore ingraining incorrect pronunciation habits. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! I think a lot of people neglect this aspect of language learning and don't pay enough attention to their pronunciation at the very beginning, there "therefore" vs "thereby" is a little tricky to explain the difference, but because "ingraining" is an ongoing process, I think "thereby" is more natural than "therefore" here. |
|
Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I need to put in in order to get to my goal, speaking General American. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I Unfortunately, I had also made that mistake, greatly increasing the amount of work I need to put in in order to get to my goal, speaking with a General American accent. "speaking X" is only really used for languages, not for accents or dialects. |
|
In order to not make the same mistake again, I started working on my German pronunciation from day one. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Over time, I also learned to read IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which can come very handy when dealing with rare words and old dictionaries. This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! This sentence has been marked as perfect! Over time, I also learned to read IPA (International Phonetics Alphabet), which can come in very handy when dealing with rare words and old dictionaries. |
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GOAT vowel |
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