/??/ is a diphthong sound, and remember a diphthong is two vowel sounds that blend together so they almost feel like one.
Notice the movement in my tongue. /??/, /??/.
The tip of the tongue is relaxed and touching behind the lower front teeth for all vowel and diphthong sounds.
To make the /??/ sound, you need to start by releasing your jaw.
Release the back of your tongue and bring the lip corners slightly forward like this, /?/.
And then, move the front of the tongue up toward the gum ridge to the /?/ position.
The second part of the diphthong is always shorter than the first, but you must make both sounds.
We'll start slowly and then we'll blend them to a normal pace.
/??/, /??/, /??/, /??/, /??/, /??/, /??/.
A common challenge with the /??/ sound is that the speaker will neglect the second part of the diphthong.
This results in the /??/ sounding like /o?/.
So let's practice each of the two sounds in the diphthong, separately and then together.
Drop your jaw and the back of your tongue and bring your lip corners forward /?/, /?/, /?/.
Now, let's try the /?/ sound. Match your sound with mine /?/, /?/, /?/.
Now, let's put them together. /??/, /??/, /??/, /??/, /??/.
Now, let's compare /??/ with /o?/.
Feel the difference between the two sounds as we try them together.
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Keep practicing on EnglishCentral and good luck!