O Sounds

These words have stress on the 1st syllable.

Repeat the Words: Watch Video

Hold on means wait. "Hold" has a long O and the O in "on" is a short O.
Hold up in casual speech also means wait or stop for a minute. This idiom can mean to rob as well, as in hold up a bank.
Loaded is another idiom which means having a lot of money.

Tip: You can practice both Long O and Short O with the phrase pro's and con's. Pro has a Long O and con has a Short O.

With these words stress the 2nd syllable: portfolio, nonprofit, monopoly, respond
With these compound words, stress both syllables: IPod, online

O Sounds often change when the syllable stress changes. In the following words, the short O sounds are in bold print. The other O's have a schwa sound.

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