A closer look
- Quick poll: pick the vowel you hear for what in your target variety: a) American, b) British, c) fast speech. Here is the resolution: a) is often written /wʌt/, b) /wɒt/, c) /wət/ in rapid speech.
Say-it guide
Verify the vowel first: American English is commonly transcribed /wʌt/, the stressed vowel of cut; British English is /wɒt/, the short open vowel of hot. The stress falls on this single syllable.
Round your lips slightly for the w, as in win, then drop the jaw a little for the vowel. Keep the vowel short and central: /wʌt/ matches cut in American speech; /wɒt/ matches not in British speech.
Finish with a light t in final position, as in what time is it? Keep it one beat so the vowel stays short. Before a following vowel, as in what is it?, American speakers often flap the t or weaken the whole word toward /wət/, so do not force a crisp release there.