# Rule 5: Keep the o in hot, job and stop

Easy start. Rule 5 of 6.

> **The rule:** Start from a short Kinyarwanda o, then match hot, job and stop to the recording.

Use the Kinyarwanda o as a starting point for hot, job and stop. Keep it short [short o](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/snd-o.mp3?v=26e58225bc58) and match the Standard English recording. The sound spelling is an approximation: listen for the different vowel in hut, nut and cup.

**Figure: Kinyarwanda vowels as starting points.** These are rough learning approximations, not identical sounds. Listen to the recordings for the target sound and length.

- hot, job, stop [sound](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/snd-o.mp3?v=26e58225bc58): rough starting point Kinyarwanda o (start from a short o, then match the recording)
- hut, nut, cup [sound](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/snd-uh.mp3?v=631dfebd4897): rough starting point Kinyarwanda a (a rough a-like starting point; match each recording)

> **Why:**
>
> The o and a spellings draw on a contrast you already make in Kinyarwanda. Use that as a starting point, then
> listen closely to the examples. American hot and hut also have different vowel sounds; length alone does not
> explain their difference.

## Keep o, not a

| Keep o | Different from a |
| - | - |
| not [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-not.mp3?v=d64495272560) | nut [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-nut.mp3?v=744f67d3b314) |
| hot [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-hot.mp3?v=22ab0729f2c4) | hut [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-hut.mp3?v=e85329937ef9) |
| lock [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-lock.mp3?v=15dc4b57091e) | luck [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-luck.mp3?v=2ef0eb697304) |
| shot [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-shot.mp3?v=968df00a68cb) | shut [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-shut.mp3?v=95458b6b66e0) |
| cop [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-cop.mp3?v=e2a0069132a1) | cup [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-cup.mp3?v=5f7d4ca9a98c) |
| dog [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-dog.mp3?v=42dbb6ed5e54) | dug [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-dug.mp3?v=67e7a1e32519) |
| boss [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-boss.mp3?v=37a73d180300) | bus [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-bus.mp3?v=e583e7c776ce) |
| body [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-body.mp3?v=36d4a047be33) | buddy [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/oa-buddy.mp3?v=a16b93f59607) |

## Everyday words with this short o

- job [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-job.mp3?v=231900a086e5)
- shop [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-shop.mp3?v=cb0522d1388b)
- stop [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-stop.mp3?v=ee6eb2d9e971)
- doctor [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-doctor.mp3?v=8fbfeb1e3cf6)
- hospital [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-hospital.mp3?v=97426a36342f)
- coffee [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-coffee.mp3?v=c1c7336c756e)
- office [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-office.mp3?v=79d8f74596b9)
- problem [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-problem.mp3?v=7544cde18cc6)
- possible [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-possible.mp3?v=1f3cb47eda33)
- bottle [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-bottle.mp3?v=66ce69e140d3)
- body [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-body.mp3?v=252b129d0b28)
- holiday [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-holiday.mp3?v=cb01e333230b)
- sorry [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-sorry.mp3?v=b5503f48359e)
- wrong [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-wrong.mp3?v=6bcb9084df56)
- long [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/o-long.mp3?v=a532c37b49ee)

## Two sounds for the letter u

Most words spelt with u use the vowel in hut (_hat_): but, cup, bus, much. A short list uses a short _u_ instead: put, push, full, sugar, butcher. The same short _u_ is spelt oo in look, book and took.

**Figure: One letter u, two starting points.** Most words spelt with u start from _a_. A short list starts from _u_. Listen to the recordings for the target sound.

- but, bus, much [sound](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/snd-uh.mp3?v=631dfebd4897): rough starting point Kinyarwanda a (a rough a-like starting point; match each recording)
- put, push, full [sound](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/snd-u.mp3?v=e1cb9031870c): rough starting point Kinyarwanda u (start from a short u, a little towards o; match the recording)

You can't tell from the spelling: but and put look alike but sound different. Learn the short list of words below and say every other u as a short _a_, starting from your Kinyarwanda _a_. Say luck as _lak_, not _luk_, which sounds like look.

| u, as in put | a, as in hut |
| - | - |
| look (luk) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/ua-look.mp3?v=a12b8d116011) | luck (lak) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/ua-luck.mp3?v=b43e7955e29c) |
| book (buk) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/ua-book.mp3?v=d149c031e151) | buck (bak) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/ua-buck.mp3?v=d49b7d1decfb) |
| took (tuk) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/ua-took.mp3?v=c527667aa887) | tuck (tak) [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/ua-tuck.mp3?v=03c66278d710) |

## Words with this short u

- put [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-put.mp3?v=7fe12d1ec698)
- push [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-push.mp3?v=bbe689373fce)
- pull [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-pull.mp3?v=29e71d2f246b)
- full [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-full.mp3?v=0c2f411588c6)
- bull [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-bull.mp3?v=08004b99ec8b)
- bush [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-bush.mp3?v=411dc8d8c263)
- butcher [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-butcher.mp3?v=757ab9ca162c)
- sugar [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-sugar.mp3?v=65514cb697db)
- cushion [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-cushion.mp3?v=64440230a4c7)
- pudding [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-pudding.mp3?v=7c04a6a3a95e)
- bullet [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-bullet.mp3?v=f95d6dc111c2)
- input [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-input.mp3?v=514794866136)
- output [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-output.mp3?v=cf7f5b4789ce)
- bulletin [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-bulletin.mp3?v=82e6e24a16b6)
- ambush [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-ambush.mp3?v=1a71e43d96cb)
- bulldozer [audio](https://clear-english.rw/audio/gb/u-bulldozer.mp3?v=cdffe4d33928)

---

From Clear English Rwanda: https://clear-english.rw/rules/short-o

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