Spelling the sound /or/: or, ore, au, aw

To recap, the most common ways of spelling the /or/ sound are or, ore, au, aw.

After a qu or w, typically it is spelled with ar.

These words all contain other ways of making the /or/ sound by using:
aught, ough, our, oor, all, al, oar.

These words use augh to spell the /or/ sound:

caught*	The thief was caught in the act.
taught*	I was taught to play the piano.
fraught	Fraught means upset and worried.
naught	Naught (US spelling) means nothing. (British spelling: nought)
naughty	Put that naughty child to bed early.
daughter	Our daughter has fair hair.
slaughter	The sick cows had to be slaughtered.

For more on these augh words, see Unit 17

These words use ough to spell the /or/ sound:

ought	You really ought to see that film.
bought	I bought my boyfriend a ring.
brought	The lost child was brought back home.
fought*	A battle was fought on this site.
nought	Nought means nothing. (US spelling: naught)
thought	I thought you'd be ready by now.

For more on these ough words, see Unit 17

Learn the Words

These words use our to spell the /or/ sound:

four	He has read four books in a week.
pour	Please will you pour me a drink?
your	Can I help you with your bags?
court*	The tennis court was too wet for play.
course*	1. This course should help your spelling. 2. We had soup for our first course.
mourn	Mourn means to grieve over a death.
source*	The source of this river is in those hills.

Note: 4 = four, 14 = fourteen, BUT 40 = forty

These words use oor to spell the /or/ sound:

door	Shut the door behind you.
floor*	Don't tread on my clean floor.

Learn the Words

Remember these words from Unit 5?
In them the /orl/ sound is spelled all :

all

ball

call

fall

hall

small

stall

tall

wall

The /or/ sound is spelled al in these words also:

chalk	These cliffs are made of chalk.
stalk*	Flowers grow on stalks.
talk	Don't talk with your mouth full.
walk	Let's walk instead of driving.

These words use oar to spell the /or/sound:

oar	I lost an oar over the side of my boat.
boar*	A boar is a male pig or a wild pig.
board*	The seat was just a wooden board.
coarse*	Coarse means rough, or not fine.
hoard	He hid his hoard of cash under the bed.
hoarse*	Shouting too much can make you hoarse.
roar	I heard the roar of a wild animal.
soar*	The glider soared high in the sky.

To remember the spelling of cupboard, think of it as a board to keep cups on, and say it out loud as cup - board.

Learn the Words

Remember the war rules on page 7?
These words break those rules:

wore*	She wore a new dress for the party.
worn*	This old printer is worn out.
water	Drink lots of water for good health.

To remember the spelling of water, keep saying:

Adam ate apples and drank water

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