English grammar

Question

Why does the o in the word to (example "I like to eat.") pronounced like a u, oo, etc..??  I thought that the letter o had two sounds.  One being the short sound like in toe and the other the long sound like in dog.  I need to explain it correctly to my six year old.  thanks

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

It has more than 2 sounds, but you are confused. The 'o' of toe is called 'long O' in the simplified phonetic system used in most native schools, which generally suggest that all the vowels have just 2 sounds, a long one and a short one. This is not true. There are variations. The vowel sound of 'dog' is not 'short O', but a diphthong (d?g or d?:g). 'Short O' is the sound in cot and hot. (For midwestern American English that is; other dialects shift these vowel sounds around.)

But don't get confused about sound vs letter. The letters used of the alphabet do not necessarily indicate the vowel sound of the word. Witness these '[url=http://home.vicnet.net.au/~ozideas/svowchart.htm] anomalies[/url]':

1. How English vowel sounds can be spelled

a	can meringue have plait guarantee salmon harangue matt
e	bed any bury palate fence guess peril said head foreign friend phlegm debt Wednesday cheque leopard repp
i	big pretty women stomach busy message breeches give sieve city language build rhythm victuals bicycle carriage ill
o	dog was gone forest knowledge laurel cough honour John yacht because boss
u	fun mother come uncle blood young tough thorough ugh tongue tortoise conscious station ****
A	baby mate ballet fete bouquet sail break veil they bouquet eight dahlia reign straight raise gaol play melee
E	me scene police piano sea receipt chief key debris league people please cheese receive bee piece paediatric amoeba lieutenant
I	bite find eye aisle either sky guide height sign island light dye diamond buy choir aye
O	go home show brooch chauffeur shoulder though folk ghost depot rogue mauve beau boat
U	music use ewe view you suit Hugh impugn fugue juice beauty lieu deuce feud
ar	fast car mirage sergeant aunt heart guard laugh khaki half bourgeois bazaar
er	her fur girl work were circle nurse sugar early journey myrrh colonel answer amateur o
air	scare there air bear their parent mayor aeroplane
or/aw	for horse ball awe warm poor autumn four bought taught talk sword cause George board broad course
ow	round cow bough hour mouse sauerkraut
oy	boy boil quoit buoy noise gargoyle
oo	as in moon do truth shoe blue soup through fruit rheumatism two bruise route choose manoeuvre pleurisy
oo	as in look put wolf worsted could

2. How English vowel spellings can be pronounced

a

can any stomach was baby fast sugar parent ball a
e

bed pretty ballet me
i

big meringue piano find girl
o

dog women mother go work do wolf
u

fun busy fury music fur truth put
a-e

have palate message gate mirage scare awe
e-e

fence breeches get scene eye ewe were there Wednesday
i-e

bite police give circle
o-e

bone gone done horse shoe amoeba
u-e

use guess uncle bouquet nurse blue suede
ar

car around warm
er

peril sergeant her
air

air
or

for forest sailor
ow

cow show knowledge
oy

boy oyez
oo

moon look blood brooch poor zoology
ai

sail said plait aisle dais naive
au

autumn laurel aunt chauffeur sauerkraut
ea

beach head break heart early bear theatre
ei

either veil foreign receipt their deist
ie

chief sieve friend view piety

y ey

city sky they key eye

ou

shoulder you young bouquet journey four out soup could
ough

cough tough thorough though bought bough through
ua

dual guarantee language guard suave
ui

suing suit build guide fruit
ugh

eugh laugh taught Hugh

eigh

eight height

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