The /ɒ/ sound (short O)
The /ɒ/ sound as heard in “hot”.
What is the /ɒ/ sound?
The /ɒ/ sound is one of the 44 sounds of English. You can hear it clearly in the word hot. Say the word slowly and notice the moment the sound appears — that isolated sound, not the letter name, is what your child needs to learn.
How it's spelled
In print, /ɒ/ most often appears as o, a. Start with the most common spelling and let the alternatives arrive later — children cope well with “this sound has more than one costume” once the first mapping is solid.
How to teach it
Model the sound cleanly, without an added “uh”. Play I-spy with it around the house, then connect it to the letter shape. Two or three short, playful encounters a day beat one long drill — and the example words below are ready for exactly that.
Example words
hot
Teaching tips
Keep the sound short and clean — no added “uh”. Play I-spy with the sound before showing the letter. Revisit for two minutes tomorrow; spaced repetition does the heavy lifting.