O or U? Cot & cut (/ɒ/ vs /ʌ/)

Objective & content

This Sound Check video (about 2 minutes 30) fixes one pair of vowels: the round o of cot and the relaxed u of cut. Freya (British) and Cody (American) show the difference with the lips. For cot, round the lips into a small circle and open the mouth. For cut, relax the lips and do not round them. One sound changes the word: a cot is a bed for a baby, and to cut is to use scissors. Students repeat not and nut, dock and duck, shot and shut, and one sentence, then they play a three-round game: which word did you hear?

Pedagogical guide

In many languages there is only one vowel for both words, so cot and cut sound the same. This is the case for French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and Dutch learners. The video works on lip shape, not on length. Students watch your lips. The o of cot is a little rounder for Freya and a little more open for Cody. Both keep cot and cut clearly different, so do not teach this small difference. The game tests listening only, so check the speaking yourself.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Write cot and cut on the board. Ask students to say both words. Do they sound different?
2. Watch (3 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when Cody says "Try it with us" and "Say them with me".
3. Game (2 min). Play the game again. Pause each time a host says the word, before the other host gives the answer. The class votes: round or relaxed?
4. After (3 min). In pairs, one student says cot or cut, not or nut. The partner points to the right word on the board.

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The example words are at about A2- level. Students do not need phonetic symbols.

Assessment & extensions

Say five words from the video in random order. Students make a circle with their fingers for the round sound and keep a flat hand for the relaxed sound. For more practice, add sock and suck.