What is an example of a word that illustrates the sound represented by aʊ?

The sound represented by the phonetic symbol aʊ is a diphthong that is commonly found in English words, typically representing a combination of the vowel sounds /a/ as in "father" and /ʊ/ as in "book." The word "bow," when pronounced as "bough," exemplifies this sound. It starts with an open front vowel sound and glides toward a near-close back rounded vowel, fitting the characteristics of the diphthong aʊ.

In contrast, the other words do not illustrate the aʊ sound. "Cat" features the short vowel sound /æ/, "car" has the vowel sound /ɑː/, and "joy" is based on the /ɔɪ/ sound, which is a different diphthong altogether. Thus, "bow" serves as the clear example of the aʊ sound in English phonetics.