/ɔː/ — Choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic symbol

Analyze the question: You are asked to find the word containing the long vowel /ɔː/, the sound in "door", "caught", "port" and "law".

Explain the concept: /ɔː/ is a long, rounded back vowel. It is often spelled "au", "aw", "or", "oor" or "al". The "au" spelling is a good clue.

Check each option:

• A. attribute (noun): /ˈætrɪbjuːt/. The vowels are /æ/, /ɪ/ and /uː/. There is no /ɔː/. (The verb form /əˈtrɪbjuːt/ doesn't have it either.)
• B. wonder: /ˈwʌndə/. The vowels are /ʌ/ and /ə/. No /ɔː/.
• C. surrender: /səˈrendə/. The vowels are /ə/, /e/ and /ə/. No /ɔː/.
• D. authentic: /ɔːˈθentɪk/. It begins with /ɔː/, the same sound as in "author" and "caught". ✔

Answer: D. authentic.

Tip: Words spelled with "au" or "aw" usually carry /ɔː/: author, daughter, launch, law, draw, authentic. Exceptions are rare, so you can often spot the answer from the spelling alone. Also, "o" before "nd" or "m" in words like wonder and come is usually /ʌ/, not /ɔː/.