spot — choose the word that has the same vowel sound as the one represented by the underlined letter(s)

Analyze the question: The word "spot" has no underlined letters shown here, but the vowel is clearly the "o" in spot. We need the option with the same vowel sound.

Explain the concept: The vowel in "spot" is the short /ɒ/ sound (as in hot, not, lot). It is a short, rounded vowel made at the back of the mouth.

Solution: Let's check each option's vowel sound:

• A. slot has /slɒt/. The "o" is the short /ɒ/. This matches spot /spɒt/.
• B. sport has /spɔːt/. The "or" is the long /ɔː/, so it does not match.
• C. hurt has /hɜːt/. The "ur" is the long /ɜː/, so it does not match.
• D. glut has /glʌt/. The "u" is the short /ʌ/ (as in cut), so it does not match.

Answer: Only slot shares the /ɒ/ vowel with "spot".

Tip: In these questions, ignore the spelling and say each word aloud. Watch out for the trap in option B: "sport" looks very similar to "spot" but adds an "r", which turns the vowel into the long /ɔː/. Also remember that words ending in a single consonant after "o" (like spot, slot, lot, hot) usually have the short /ɒ/ sound.