/aʊ/ — From the words lettered A-D, choose the word that contains the sound represented by the given phonetic…

Analyze the question You are asked to find the word that contains the diphthong /aʊ/. This is the vowel sound in words like "cow," "now," and "house."

Explain the concept A diphthong is a vowel sound that glides from one vowel quality to another within a single syllable. The /aʊ/ sound starts open, like "ah," and glides toward "oo." Different spellings can produce it, such as "ow" (cow), "ou" (out), and "ow" in "howl."

Be careful with "ow." It can be pronounced in two ways:

• /aʊ/ as in now, cow, howl
• /əʊ/ as in flow, know, show

Step-by-step solution

• A. howl is pronounced /haʊl/. It contains /aʊ/. ✔
• B. law is pronounced /lɔː/. It has a long vowel, not a diphthong. ✘
• C. flow is pronounced /fləʊ/. It has the diphthong /əʊ/, not /aʊ/. ✘
• D. note is pronounced /nəʊt/. It also has /əʊ/. ✘

Answer: A (howl)

Tip: The spelling "ow" can be tricky, so say the word aloud. If your mouth starts wide open, as when a doctor says "open wide," it is likely /aʊ/ (cow, howl, now). If your lips round to "oh," it is /əʊ/ (flow, show, note). A rhyme check also helps: howl rhymes with "growl" and "owl," while flow rhymes with "go."