English spellings/Catalogs/O

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Use in English
Alphabetical word list
Retroalphabetical list
Common misspellings

This page lists pronunciations of English words that begin with O. To see a different letter navigate with the table above. The apostrophe is treated as the last letter of the alphabet, after Z.

For a pronunciation key, click on the blue "Catalogs" link below the article title.^[e]

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Ô letter = ôh exclamation = ôwe debt

ŏar boat = ŏr alternative = ŏre metal

oâsis *ô-wâyssís

obêdience

obèisance, AmE also -ê-

obèy

oblìque -lêek

objéction no = abjéction down

obscêne

obscénity

obsêquious

óbsolête

obsoléscence

óbstacle

occâsionally

ócci- = óxy-

occidéntal *óxídéntəl cf. accidéntal (minimal pair)

Óccitan *Óxítən

óccult BrE; AmE occúlt

occür

occürred, occürring: two r’s (cf. cûred, cûring)

occúrrence BrE; AmE occürrence

ôcean *ôtion, *ôshən

ócellâted spot ≈ óscíllâted swung

ócelót

óchê *ócky, cf. hóckey

ôchre *ôker; AmE -er

Ôchs Phil = ôaks trees = Ôaks = Ôakes

óctagon

Octôber

óctopus

ódds-ón adjective, as in ódds-ón fâvourite, hyphen required

Odéssa or, more rarely, Odésa

ôdious

ôdium

ôdorous

ódyssey

Oêdipus BrE; AmE Ê-

oêstrogen BrE; AmE ê-

öeuvre *ëvra

óf *óv; but much more common as the weak form *əv = weakest form of háve = 've (e.g. incorrectly spelt "I might of gone" for Î mîght have góne = Î mîght've góne)

offénce BrE; AmE offénse

óffal *óffle

offénsive

óffputting one word

óffshoot one word, no hyphen

óffspring one word

óft- in normal usage connected by a hyphen to a following participle

óften *óffen; though some pronounce the t

ógham, or = ôhm; also *ôwəm

ôgre

ÔK = ôkây (but "ok" is not okay) = Okèh Records

Oklahôma Ôak-

ôld normal = ôlde jocular, old-fashioned = Ôld person

ôld-fáshioned

Óliver, cf. Tólliver

Olýmpic

Omagh *Ômə

Ômaha

ômega

ómelette, ómelet *ómlit, cf. hámlet, Hámlet

omérta

ómicrón

omnípotent

omniprésent

omníscience

omníscient

ón has the French spelling en in the expressions en másse and en roûte

ón bŏard is two words, except as an attributive adjective (ónboard môtor): compare thèy were ón bŏard and thèy were insîde

òne single = wòn game, cf. ôwn possess

òne-óff *wunóff

ònes plural (thêse are the bést ònes) = òne's possessive, is (òne's clôthes gét dïrty; òne's gót to thínk of onesélf) *wúnz

onesélf one word, wú-, cf. òne's sélf-ímage

oneúpmanship one word

óngôing one word

ònion *únyon, cf. Cányon

onlîne connected one word

ónlooker one word

onomatopoêia *ónomáta-pìa

*ón roûte: en roûte

ónslåught

Ontãrio

ónto *óntû, weak form *óntə, now British as well as American English

ónyx (some say ônyx)

oôhs and aàhs *oôz-ən(d)àz

oòmph

oòps

Ŏort clòud

oôze liquid = Oûse River = oôhs aahs

ôpal stone = Ôpel car

óp-éd (short for 'opposite the editorial page')

ópera makes a minimal pair with Ôprah

óperate

ophthalmólogist ófth- or ópth-

opínion

Opŏrto is not usual nowadays for the Portuguese city, which, probably as a result of its football team's fame, has become known by its native name, Pŏrto (final o as oô in Portuguese)

oppônent

opportûnity *óppərtyûnity

oppréss

oppûgn -ûne

optic

óptical

óptícian -shən

optimístic

ópt-òut noun hyphenated

Ôpus Dèì

ŏr instead = ŏre metal = ŏar boat = Ŏrr person; BrE = åwe amaze

ŏral voice = åural ear: sometimes, to distinguish it, the second is pronounced àùral *òwral

órange *óringe

oráng-utan

orâte

órator BrE, AmE ŏr-

ŏrchestrate ŏrk-

ŏrchid *ŏrkid, cf. ŏrchard, ch sound

ŏrdnance weapons cf. ŏrdinance decree

ŏrient

órifíce BrE, AmE ŏrifíce

órigin BrE, AmE ŏrigin

oríginal

Orîon

*ŏrtha- no words begin like this

ŏrthodox

óscíllate swing ≈ ócelót cat

óscíllated swung ≈ ócellâted spot

Óslo -z-

ósprêy or ósprèy

*ostérity austérity

Otàgo

òtherwise one word

ou- before a vowel = w (from French, where w traditionally = v)

Ouagadoûgou *Wagadûgu

Ouàttàrà *Wóttara

oûd

ŏught *åwt

ouìja-bŏard wì-

Ôulu

òur us = hòur time; in rapid speech = àre is

Oûse River = oôze liquid

òut meaning outside is a separate word, but it must be joined to a following word when it means more, as in the following:

outdo *òutdoô, one word

òutlåw one word

òutlét first syllable stressed

outmanoeûvre BrE; AmE outmaneûver

òutrîght one word

outsîde one word

outsmàrt one word

oûzo

ôva ovum = BrE ôver top, finish

òven

ôver meaning above is a separate word (ôver mŷ héad), but it must be joined to a following word when it means too much, as it does in many of the following examples:

overbürdened one word

overcòme one word

overdûe one word

ôverload one word

overlôaded one word

overnîght *ôver-nîte, one word

overrâte judge, one word, no hyphen, as in overrâted, ≈ overâte or *overét overeat; cf. ôver râte cricket: rate of overs two words

overreáct *ôverêáct, one word

overrîde one word

overrûle one word

oversêas abroad = oversêes inspects

overshádow one word

overstrétched

ovërt - ô-

overthrôw one word

ôvertîme work, cf. ôver tîme eventually

Óvid

ôwe debt = ôh exclamation = Ô letter

Ôwen = Eôín

ôwn cf. òne = wòn

óxbow

Óxford BrE -əd

óxîde

óxidise, óxidîze

óxy- = óxi- = ócci-

óxygen

o' of = a an, schwa

Ô'-, beginning names, is not followed by a space

O'Brîen cf. Brîan

o'clóck *əclóc