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O sounds
These words have stress on the 1st syllable.
| Short O | Long O |
| concentrate | bolster |
| conference | co-founder |
| confident | donate |
| dollar | focus |
| holiday | goal |
| honor | hold on |
| hostile | hold up |
| job search | loaded |
| lofty | low profile |
| log on / log in | motivate |
| Macintosh | motion |
| model | organize |
| modern | order |
| offer | portion |
| option | post |
| policy | protest |
| possible | social |
| solve | zone |
Hold on means wait. “Hold” has a long O and the O in “on” is a short O.
Hold up in casual speech also means wait or stop for a minute. This idiom can mean to rob as well, as in hold up a bank.
Loaded is another idiom which means having a lot of money.
Tip: You can practice both Long O and Short O with the phrase pro’s and con’s. Pro has a Long O and con has a Short O.
With these words stress the 2nd syllable: portfolio, nonprofit, monopoly, respond
With these compound words, stress both syllables: IPod, online
O Sounds often change when the syllable stress changes. In the following words, the short O sounds are in bold print. The other O’s have a schwa sound.
| 2nd Syllable | 3rd Syllable |
| technology | technological |
| economy | economic |
| objective | objectivity |
| political | politician |
| competitor | competition |
| converse | conversation |
| 750 Business Words | O Sounds Main Page |
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