Pronunciation: How to pronounce the ‘ON’ sound in English

The common letters ‘on’ are pronounced in different ways, based on their position in a word. Unfortunately, these changes can lead to hundreds of pronunciation errors.

You can avoid these errors by learning:

what the changes are
how to make them
where most mistakes occur

By doing so, you can correct hundreds of errors very easily! The practice words below will help you improve your accent, produce more standardized speech, and be understood more easily in social, academic, business, and international contexts.

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How to Improve Pronunciation & Avoid Errors

To warm up, and train your ear, read the words in sections 1, 2, and 3 out loud. Most English learners do not make mistakes in these sections.

1. At the beginning of words, on is usually pronounced like the word ‘on’, though there are exceptions:

on
onset
onward
onslaught
onto
online
onlooker
oncoming
ongoing
onscreen
oncology
onstage

2. At the end of words, on is sometimes pronounced like the word ‘on’:

Amazon
icon
don
nylon
Teflon
upon
Exxon
Lebanon

3. At the end of words, on is sometimes pronounced like un:

son
onion
done
ton

Now, read the words, names, and sentences in section 4, 5, and 6 below. Most English learners do make mistakes in these areas. Once you become aware of such words and practice saying them correctly, you will avoid thousands of errors in your lifetime. Listen to Rebecca’s lesson, as often as necessary, to train your ear and mouth to the sounds of English.

4. At the end of words, on is usually reduced and pronounced like əN or a quick n by itself. In the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), this quick vowel sound is known as a “schwa”. It is an unstressed central vowel, represented by the symbol ə.