⭐️ Why GOAT and GOAL don't sound the same (even though the dictionary says they should)

Something I talk about a lot is how the IPA, or the International Phonetic Alphabet, is a great method for checking the pronunciation of English words.

If you look a word up in the dictionary, you can check the phonetic spelling next to the normal spelling and then you know how to pronounce that word.

Well, I am very sorry to say that occasionally that's not absolutely the case. Sorry.

Let's take the example of two words: 'goat' and 'goal'. Here are their spellings in IPA: /ɡəʊt/ and /ɡəʊɫ/.

So they're almost identical, right? You've got the /ɡ/, you've got the double vowel - or diphthong - in the middle with this schwa /ə/ and the upsilon /ʊ/ together (that's this 'oh' sound, created when you have the schwa and upsilon next to each other, denoted by this symbol: /əʊ/) and then one ends with a dark 'l' (/ɫ/) and one ends in a /t/.

So presumably that means they sound the same. But then you listen closely to someone speaking modern, natural (southern) British English. And they do not actually sound the same.

/ɡəʊt/ and /ɡəʊɫ/.

The vowel in 'goal' feels different. It's shifted a bit. So if you've noticed this, you're definitely not imagining things. And it also doesn't really mean that the IPA is wrong. Let me explain.

What's happening is that in real English pronunciation, in English language, like all languages, things shift over time.

If you listen to the way that our late queen (Elizabeth II) spoke, you will hear her very crisp, old-fashioned, received pronunciation and she would probably be pronouncing 'goat' and 'goal' in exactly the same way.

Let me channel my grandmother: 'goat', 'goal'. Something like that. (This makes more sense if you listen to the audiograms below!)

Over time, language changes. And sometimes language changes because it's easier to make one sound over another. And this is actually what's happening here.

But why has this happened?

Well, firstly, in our standard day-to-day pronunciation the /əʊ/ sound has shifted. It's not what it was in, for example, the 1950s. The new /əʊ/ sound is simply more difficult to pronounce immediately in front of a dark 'l' /ɫ/, which is the consonant we have at the end of 'goal'.

When we make this 'dark /l/' (/ɫ/), the back of the tongue pulls up towards the soft palate.

Now, if you try to pronounce 'goal' as someone with modern received pronunciation would pronounce 'goat', you’ll feel your tongue has to move quite a lot. From the middle position of /ə/, back towards /ʊ/, and then even further back and up for the /ɫ/. And that is quite a workout.

What most speakers do instead is make the vowel easier. They start it further back in the mouth, closer to /ɒ/ (or even /ɔː/, depending on the speaker). This way, the tongue is already on the path to the /ɫ/. The result is that 'goal' comes out more like /gɒʊɫ/ instead of /gəʊɫ/.

The dictionary isn’t lying - both words are based on the same 'goat diphthong' /əʊ/. But in natural, modern English - and this is exactly the kind of detail we explore here at 'Pronunciation with Ellie' - that double vowel sound shifts a little when it shows up in front of dark /l/ (/ɫ/).

It’s just the mouth taking a shortcut.

And that’s why 'goat' and 'goal' don’t sound the same, even though the IPA makes them look identical.

You’ll notice the same thing if you compare 'boat' and 'old'. In the dictionary they both have /əʊ/ as their central vowel but, in real speech, 'old' usually comes out closer to /ɒʊ/, again because that /ɫ/ pulls the vowel backwards in the mouth. 'Boat' keeps the standard /əʊ/.

It’s worth saying that this shift is particular to modern British English. In American English, 'goat' and 'goal' both keep the same vowel (originating quite far back in the mouth), and in Australian English it’s much further forward in the mouth. It’s only in the modern British received pronunciation that the pronunciation of the diphthong in 'goat' is different to the one in 'goal'.

So what about you?

Take a moment and try saying 'goat' and 'goal' out loud right now. Do they sound the same to you? Or can you hear and feel that little difference in the vowel sound? How about 'boat' and 'old' (or even 'bowl')? I'd love to know what you notice.

💬 Paid subscribers can share their experiences in the comments below - and I’ll reply to each one.

The International Phonetic Alphabet is still the most reliable way to understand how English words are pronounced. Once you learn the IPA symbols, you can open a dictionary and unlock the pronunciation of (well, nearly) any word you see.

👉 If you’d like to keep exploring topics like this, consider subscribing to my twice-a-month training.

• Free members get an email every time a new training comes out, the article text, glossary links plus one audiogram (English spelling only).
• Paid members get everything: text, glossary links, two audiograms (including IPA spelling so you can start to learn the International Phonetic Alphabet without even trying!). And an audio-only version you can listen to - for example - on your way to and from work.

👉 And if you’d like to go a step further, my Intro to Pronunciation course is the perfect place to start. In it, I’ll guide you through a small, carefully chosen set of English sounds. You’ll learn their IPA symbols, how to pronounce them clearly and how to spot them in real words.