award · a word
award /əˈwɔːrd/ vs a word /ə wɝːd/ — both start with a weak “uh” + w sound. The only real difference is the stressed vowel: lip-rounded /ɔːr/ vs tongue-curled /ɝːr/.
award and a word aren’t true homophones, but in fast speech they collapse to nearly the same shape — a weak “uh” followed by a w-colored vowel. The only real difference is which vowel gets stressed.
noun — a prize given for an achievement — 'win an award' · 'an award ceremony'
mouth shape
stressed /ɔːr/ — round your lips and glide into the r-colored vowel — like 'more', 'four', 'door'
award
/əˈwɔːrd/
vowel length
the article “a” + the noun “word” (a single unit of language) — 'say a word' · 'just a word'
mouth shape
stressed /ɝːr/ — no lip rounding, just curl your tongue back — like 'bird', 'her', 'work'
a word
/ə wɝːd/
vowel length
Key difference
award /ɔːr/: round your lips, like saying door or four. a word /ɝːr/: no rounding at all — just curl the tongue back, like bird or her. If your lips are round, you’re saying award; if they’re relaxed, you’re saying a word.
Example sentences
award:“She won an award for her research.”
award:“The award ceremony starts at 8 PM.”
a word:“Can you give me a word that means ‘happy’?”
a word:“He didn’t say a word all evening.”
Hear it in a sentence
“The committee gave her an award for outstanding service.”
“He paused, unable to find a word to describe how he felt.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
award
Hear native speakers say “award” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
a word
Hear native speakers say “a word” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
award family ▸
Related pairs
Comments
Comments are reviewed before they appear publicly.