orthography - American English Pronunciation of "o" sound long or short?


I'm always confused about how to pronounce words with letter o in spelling. For example, in the word boss, I always pronounce the o as short o, when in fact it is long o. Collar is short, but I always pronounce it the opposite way.


What's the difference between words like dog, top, caught and cost? /ɑ/ or /ɔ/ ?


Are there any rules or law to decide whether to pronounce long o or short o?




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