bloat

boast

boat

broach

cloak

coach

coal

coast

coat

coax

croak

float

foal

foam

gloam

gloat

goad

goal

goat

groan

hoax

Joan

Loach

load

loaf

loam

loan

loath

loaves

moan

moat

oaf

oak

oat

oath

poach

roach

road

roam

roast

shoal

soak

soap

stoat

throat

toad

toast

7 responses to “oa as in boat”

  1. Rany says:

    There is no cockroach or roach

  2. Daniela Scholz says:

    Thank you so much. Very useful and helpful.
    Slightly exhausted EFL teacher.❀

  3. Clare B says:

    Just wondering about words like coal, foal, shoal…. they sound like more of a “ohwl” sound. Can you give me some more info on these? πŸ™‚
    Thanks

    • alison says:

      Hi Clare, the vowel-like consonant /l/ colours vowels more than most consonants. Vowels are also always shifting around, even within the same regional dialect and within speakers at times. I think that the words ‘poll/pole’ and ‘doll/dole’ are NOT homophones, but for some reason I think that the words ‘roll’ and ‘role’ are, whereas my 20-years-younger colleagues think they’re all homophones. In the UK, the words ‘cold’, ‘bold’ and ‘old’ are all pronounced with and /oe/ sound as in ‘foal’, but here we are mostly inclined to think of the vowel as an /o/ as in hot. So I think what you describe is just the influence of the following /l/ on the vowel. Phonemes are concepts in our heads not actual Things in our mouths, in fact they are produced differently in different contexts i.e. they are collections of allophones, not identical sounds, but we group them together in the same way we group a greyhound, a chihuahua and a labrador as dogs, though they have a lot of differences as well as similarities. Hope that makes sense, Alison

      • Clare B says:

        Yes, makes a lot of sense. πŸ™‚
        I would agree with you about poll/pole NOT being homophones πŸ˜€
        I have been using your lists a lot, as I am a TA, working in literacy intervention. As we teach each sound, we create small practice lists for the kids to either read or write. I’ve left the “l” ones out, as for these kids, it just adds a complexity that they don’t need right now.
        Anyone looking at me while I read your lists would have a good laugh, as I’ve been very slowly saying each word, and being conscious of what my mouth is doing, and what sound I am making. Rather hilarious! πŸ˜€
        Thanks for the help, and for this amazing resource!

  4. vihaan.srivatsa says:

    what about coaster

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