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Why "hot" sounds different in British English
RP /hɒt/ uses /ɒ/, a short vowel made low at the back of the mouth with the lips slightly rounded. General American /hɑːt/ uses an open, unrounded "ah", similar to the A in "father", so American "hot" can sound like "haht" to British ears.
This one vowel appears in hundreds of common words: "lot", "stop", "job", "got", "want", "what". Getting it right shifts your whole accent. The final T is often reinforced or replaced by a glottal stop before a consonant ("ho' day"), which is acceptable in modern standard British speech, but at the end of a phrase keep it clear.
How to say "hot" like a Brit, step by step
- Open your jaw as for "ah".
- Now round your lips slightly, as if starting to say "oh", and pull the sound back: o.
- Keep it short and finish with a crisp t: hot.
- Practise the contrast: British hot, lot, not versus American "haht", "laht", "naht".
Practise "hot" in a sentence
- It's far too hot to sit in the garden today.
- Would you like a hot water bottle?
- Careful, the plate is very hot.
Saying it once correctly is easy. Saying it right in the middle of a fast sentence is the hard part, which is why the sentences above matter more than the single word.
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce hot in a British accent?
In Received Pronunciation, hot is pronounced /hɒt/, roughly "HOT". Use a short O with slightly rounded lips: HOT, not the American "haht".
Is the American pronunciation of hot wrong?
No. /hɑːt/ is standard in American English. Both are correct, they simply belong to different accents. If you are learning a British accent, aim for /hɒt/.