Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardDiphthongs

The word throe is pronounced with the diphthong /əʊ/. Which word features this exact diphthong sound?

  1. mauveAnswer
  2. B
    sloth
  3. C
    broad
  4. D
    plough

Answer

The word containing the identical diphthong sound /əʊ/ is mauve.
The word 'throe' is pronounced /θrəʊ/, featuring the diphthong sound /əʊ/. The option 'mauve' is pronounced /məʊv/, which uses the exact same /əʊ/ diphthong sound despite the deceptive 'au' spelling.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the target diphthong sound in the reference word.
The word 'throe' is transcribed phonetically as /θrəʊ/, containing the diphthong /əʊ/.
Establishing the precise target sound is essential before evaluating the option choices.
2
Analyze the phonetic composition of each option.
'mauve' is pronounced /məʊv/ (/əʊ/), 'sloth' is /slɒθ/ (/ɒ/), 'broad' is /brɔːd/ (/ɔː/), and 'plough' is /plaʊ/ (/aʊ/).
Evaluating phonetic transcriptions eliminates monophthong substitutes and mismatched diphthongs.
3
Match the target sound to the correct option.
'mauve' produces the exact /əʊ/ diphthong glide.
Both 'throe' and 'mauve' share the identical primary diphthong sound /əʊ/.

Key Concept

Identification of the /əʊ/ diphthong sound across non-standard orthographic spellings
Estimated Time:1m 0s
Rate this question

Topics

Diphthongs

More questions from this topic