# One and Won



## PSIONMAN

I'm a native English speaker and for the last 50+ years I thought that One and Won were pronounced the same. Now friends are laughing at me and saying they're not

What do non-native speakers think?

Which one rhymes with Run? 

(sorry. Wrong forum )


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## Swettenham

Hi psionman!

Where I'm from, one and won are exactly the same.

Saludos!
Swetten'


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## desde aquel verano

Hi Psionman,

They sound the same for me too. In my Oxford dictionary they are listed with the same phonetic spelling: /wAn/

Saludos.


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## Rayines

> What do non-native speakers think?


*First, I was going to joke about how do you expect us non-native speakers (at least in my case) to give an opinion. Buuuuuuuut..thinking a little more about it, I'd say that for the last 50 years, I'd say that "one" rhymes with "run", and I'd pronounce "won" with a bit more closed sound (?).  *


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## Dave Anderson

PSIONMAN said:
			
		

> I'm a native English speaker and for the last 50+ years I thought that One and Won were pronounced the same. Now friends are laughing at me and saying they're not
> 
> What do non-native speakers think?
> 
> Which one rhymes with Run?
> 
> (sorry. Wrong forum )


Hi

In California, we pronounce ONE and WON identically. Perhaps non-native speakers are influenced by the appearance of the written words: WON could be read as in Spanish "GUAN."


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## Rayines

> WON could be read as in Spanish "GUAN


*No, in my case, like "guon"  *


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## cuchuflete

On the way to the English forum, per your request....

c.


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## cuchuflete

I say them both exactly the same way.  Both rhyme with run/fun/ton/done.  Isn't English a mess?


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## rayb

PSIONMAN said:
			
		

> I'm a native English speaker and for the last 50+ years I thought that One and Won were pronounced the same. Now friends are laughing at me and saying they're not
> 
> What do non-native speakers think?
> 
> Which one rhymes with Run?
> 
> (sorry. Wrong forum )


 
Maybe One and Won pronouced separetely sound exactly the same.

But "One and One" and "One and Won" they definitely sound quite different. Effectively "One and One " is a business neeting between two parties, which in most countries has to observe very well defined rules in order to avoid the disclosure of non public information. To this extent, when a  "One and One" meeting is settled both parties will certainly be interested in making it clear that it is not a "One and Won" meeting.


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## rayb

Rayines said:
			
		

> *No, in my case, like "guon"  *


 
I share Inés pronunciation.

For me: won = guon and one = guan


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## lsp

As another born-and-raised English speaker, I vote for one/won pronounced identically.


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## Mr X

Identical for me, too.


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## jimcintosh

I think there is a slight difference in the way I say them and I notice it only when I emphasize the word.

"How many pencils are there?" "One." "Two?" "No, ONE (Won)."
"How did John do in the race" "He won." "He lost?" "No, he WON (wOn)."

If I emphasize "one" I think I emphasize the "w" sound.
If I emphasize "won" I think I emphasize the "o" vowel sound.


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## Isotta

jimcintosh said:
			
		

> I think there is a slight difference in the way I say them and I notice it only when I emphasize the word.
> 
> "How many pencils are there?" "One." "Two?" "No, ONE (Won)."
> "How did John do in the race" "He won." "He lost?" "No, he WON (wOn)."
> 
> If I emphasize "one" I think I emphasize the "w" sound.
> If I emphasize "won" I think I emphasize the "o" vowel sound.



I could imagine emphasis via either sound for either word, depending on the speaker's whim. I also say identical.

Isotta.


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## Rayines

> I share Inés pronunciation.
> 
> For me: won = guon and one = guan


*rayb,are we lost??*


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## Nick

I say them the same.

I could say "won" as "Juan"/"yawn", but "one" would never be pronounced that way.


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## modgirl

lsp said:
			
		

> As another born-and-raised English speaker, I vote for one/won pronounced identically.


 
Moi aussi (me, too)!  I'm guessing the difference is in a regional dialect, but I'm not familiar with it.


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## Swettenham

rayb said:
			
		

> To this extent, when a  "One and One" meeting is settled both parties will certainly be interested in making it clear that it is not a "One and Won" meeting.



Aloha, rayb

Interestingly, I haven't heard either of these terms.  I have heard of a "one on one" meeting, which is a personal encounter in which two parties discuss a matter—  usually a private one— in detail.  I'm not  familiar at all with the term "one and won."  What does that refer to, out of curiosity?

aloha!
swetten'


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## jacinta

One - Won
Won - One

Nope.  No difference.


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## rayb

Swettenham said:
			
		

> Aloha, rayb
> 
> Interestingly, I haven't heard either of these terms. I have heard of a "one on one" meeting, which is a personal encounter in which two parties discuss a matter— usually a private one— in detail. I'm not familiar at all with the term "one and won." What does that refer to, out of curiosity?
> 
> aloha!
> swetten'


 
For sure, I was speaking about "one on one" meetings. Just joking about thr non sense of not emphazising the difference between one and won.

Regards


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## rayb

Rayines said:
			
		

> *rayb,are we lost??*


 
Ray says to Inés: it seems we still have a couple of foreros ready to emphazise the difference between one and won. However, let me recall that the original question was raised to the non natives and among them we score a 100 %.

Regards.


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## Benjy

http://s54.yousendit.com/d.php?id=2K48IDN4AA4G42P6B2UKL39GK8

i tried to write in ipa, then i gave up and just recorded my voice.

i think if i said "one on one" i would never pronounce it the same way as i pronounce won.


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## DesertCat

Another native English speaker who pronounces won and one exactly the same.


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## chitownchica

ok, i thought about this one for awhile because i thought they were pronounced the same too.  but try saying "he won one and lost one."  (like won one game, lost another).  i think you can here a slight change in the pronunciation there.  more of a "wun", like the U is more apparent.


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## rayb

Benjy said:
			
		

> http://s54.yousendit.com/d.php?id=2K48IDN4AA4G42P6B2UKL39GK8
> 
> i tried to write in ipa, then i gave up and just recorded my voice.
> 
> i think if i said "one on one" i would never pronounce it the same way as i pronounce won.


 
Thanks Benjy, that was exactly my point. Effectively, if needed even natives will emphazise the difference.


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## la grive solitaire

I pronounce one/won the same as individual words, but differently in a sentence: for example, We won the game versus A one-on-one meeting. I wonder (oneder? )  if their pronunciation isn't more a function of the word that precedes them?  Is there a linguist in the house?


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## Merlin

I pronounce them just the same. Won and One. I can't really distinguish the difference when I pronounce it.  It will take me forever to determine...


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## gotitadeleche

la grive solitaire said:
			
		

> I pronounce one/won the same as individual words, but differently in a sentence: for example, We won the game versus A one-on-one meeting. I wonder (oneder? )  if their pronunciation isn't more a function of the word that precedes them?  Is there a linguist in the house?



Even when I say One-on-one, I hear no difference in pronunciation.


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## Outsider

PSIONMAN said:
			
		

> I'm a native English speaker and for the last 50+ years I thought that One and Won were pronounced the same. Now friends are laughing at me and saying they're not
> 
> What do non-native speakers think?
> 
> Which one rhymes with Run?
> 
> (sorry. Wrong forum )


Another non-native speaker, here. I pronounce the two words the same way. I think they both rhyme with 'run'.


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## Rayines

> Another non-native speaker, here. I pronounce the two words the same way. I think they both rhyme with 'run'.


*We've been killed, Ray! *


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## rayb

Rayines said:
			
		

> *We've been killed, Ray! *


 
We still have 50 % of non natives and 100 % among Spanish speaking foreros.

"One in one" will win, Inés!!!!


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## VenusEnvy

One more vote for no difference. They sound completely identical to me!


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## Artrella

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> One more vote for no difference. They sound completely identical to me!




No difference   *One >> /w^n/* *Won >> /w^n/  *  >>> according to my English Pronouncing Dictionary (Cambridge)


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## timpeac

PSIONMAN said:
			
		

> I'm a native English speaker and for the last 50+ years I thought that One and Won were pronounced the same. Now friends are laughing at me and saying they're not
> 
> What do non-native speakers think?
> 
> Which one rhymes with Run?
> 
> (sorry. Wrong forum )


 
Bit confused as to why you are asking non-natives their opinion of how these words are pronounced, but I will add my name to long list of natives who detect no difference in pronunciation. It seems you are in good company .


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## rayb

Artrella said:
			
		

> No difference  *One >> /w^n/* *Won >> /w^n/ *>>> according to my English Pronouncing Dictionary (Cambridge)


 
Rayines, you are right, we are definitely lost. 

Art, just try these ones: "one on one" vs "won on one". 

Saludos


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## MrMagoo

PSIONMAN said:
			
		

> I'm a native English speaker and for the last 50+ years I thought that One and Won were pronounced the same. Now friends are laughing at me and saying they're not
> 
> What do non-native speakers think?
> 
> Which one rhymes with Run?
> 
> (sorry. Wrong forum )


 

"One-One was one race horse, Two-Two was one, too.
One-One won one race and Two-Two won one, too"!  

Sorry, couldn't resist... **


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## rayb

timpeac said:
			
		

> Bit confused as to why you are asking non-natives their opinion of how these words are pronounced, but I will add my name to long list of natives who detect no difference in pronunciation. It seems you are in good company .


 
Maybe his friends, that are laughing  about his pronunciation, are non natives.


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## foxfirebrand

"I won one." sounds the same as "I one won" would, though you can't help inflecting them differently, stressing "won" in both cases.

There is one difference.  The _w_ upglide in "one" is weaker than the one in "won."  You can elide it when the word is unstressed, but this usage is strongly dialectical-- "It's a big un!"  and "she's a young un."  "They's good'ns and then agin they's not-so-good'ns!"

They's is how they say "there are" even futther up the holler.


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## TJ Taylor

I'm sorry to break ranks with the natives, but there is a difference.... don't forget that won has more than one meaning - it's also the currency in North and South Korea which rhymes with 'pawn'.

But then again, how often do you get together with your friends in the pub to discuss international currency fluctuations...
Take care,
Alex


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## daviesri

They sound the same to me.


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## foxfirebrand

TJ Taylor said:
			
		

> But then again, how often do you get together with your friends in the pub to discuss international currency fluctuations...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> True, but you might discuss one-ton trucks and won ton soup-- with wanton one-tone mispronunciations.
Click to expand...


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## timpeac

rayb said:
			
		

> Maybe his friends, that are laughing about his pronunciation, are non natives.


 
Precisely what I was onedering Ray!


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## timpeac

foxfirebrand said:
			
		

> True, but you might discuss one-ton trucks and won ton soup-- with wanton one-tone mispronunciations.


 
That's just too good Fox!


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## Aupick

Artrella said:
			
		

> No difference   *One >> /w^n/* *Won >> /w^n/  *  >>> according to my English Pronouncing Dictionary (Cambridge)


Well I didn't realise how exceptional I was. In my northern British accent, I make a distinction. My *won* rhymes with *fun*, *pun* and *hon(ey)*, which are supposed to be a semi-open back sound represented by an upside-down V in the IPA, but which doesn't exist in the North where it's pronounced like *put*, *took* (an almost closed back sound represented in the IPA by a Greek upsilon (looks like upside-down omega)). Since I haven't live in the UK in ten years my won has drifted towards the ^ sound, but is still quite distinct.

My *one* has the same vowel sound as *long*, *from*, *gone*.

Looks like I need to take speech lessons . Or write to that English Pronouncing Dictionary .


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## Rayines

*And now, (remember that we come frome the Spanish-English forum and have been placed here by chance! ). Would you be able to repeat:*

*Maria Chuzena su choza techaba y un techador que atenta la acechaba le pregunta: ¿Maria Chuzena tu techas tu choza o techas la ajena? No techo mi choza, ni techo la ajena yo techo la choza de Maria Chuzena.*
*LOL.*


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## Dave Anderson

chitownchica said:
			
		

> ok, i thought about this one for awhile because i thought they were pronounced the same too. but try saying "he won one and lost one." (like won one game, lost another). i think you can *here* a slight change in the pronunciation there. more of a "wun", like the U is more apparent.


UH OH - now we gotta start up on *Here* vs *Hear*!

lol


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## chitownchica

Dave Anderson said:
			
		

> UH OH - now we gotta start up on *Here* vs *Hear*!
> 
> lol


 

ouch, my bad!!!


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## Benjy

YES. thats exactly what i tried to demonstrate with my little sound file, that got downloaded too many times and is now blocked hur hur. you are not alone. and i agree. maybe i don't do it as thick but i don't pronouce them the same.



			
				Aupick said:
			
		

> Well I didn't realise how exceptional I was. In my northern British accent, I make a distinction. My *won* rhymes with *fun*, *pun* and *hon(ey)*, which are supposed to be a semi-open back sound represented by an upside-down V in the IPA, but which doesn't exist in the North where it's pronounced like *put*, *took* (an almost closed back sound represented in the IPA by a Greek upsilon (looks like upside-down omega)). Since I haven't live in the UK in ten years my won has drifted towards the ^ sound, but is still quite distinct.
> 
> My *one* has the same vowel sound as *long*, *from*, *gone*.
> 
> Looks like I need to take speech lessons . Or write to that English Pronouncing Dictionary .


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## rayb

Benjy said:
			
		

> YES. thats exactly hat i tried to demonstrate with my little sound file, that got downloaded to many times and is now blocked hur hur. you are not alone. and i agree. maybe i dont do it as thick but i dont pronouce them the same.


 
Benjy, could you kindly write in correct English. You are the first to correct others, how can we learn when we read you.


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## jacinta

Oh, now, ray, you'll have to pay the big bucks to learn Benjy's language.  It doesn't come easy.  I got the quick version that is cheaper but it serves me enough to decipher most words.


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## superromu

my english teachers said for one (ouane)  won (ouône)
maybe that is why frenchies have funny accent when they speak english ! 

in U2 song : one, Bono says "ouane"


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## Amityville

MrMagoo said:
			
		

> "One-One was one race horse, Two-Two was one, too.
> One-One won one race and Two-Two won one, too"!
> 
> Sorry, couldn't resist... **


 
Just a word of appreciation, MrMagoo, for your little gem  
I'm annoyed though as I don't pronounce those two little words the same so don't get the full benefit...


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## elroy

Wow. When I saw this thread and noticed that there had been at least *one* answer, I didn't even bother clicking on it. I figured someone was asking if there was a difference in pronunciation and was told definitively by some other forero that there wasn't *one*. And the battle was *won*!

Now, 50+ posts later, I can tell that's obviously not the case. I am positively awed at how far the discussion has gone - when to me the answer is obvious: the pronunciation is precisely identical. Save for certain dialectical/regional differences (which are inevitable), the pronunciation - in standard English, I daresay - is identical.

"I won one" is no proof to the contrary. The only difference is emphasis, and either word could be emphasized - depending on the situation.

As for the non-natives, the confusion results exclusively from the spelling. "Won" has an "o," which would lead some people to pronounce it like they pronounce "hone." However, there are many words in which "o" is pronounced like a short "u": wonder, mother, lover, hover, etc. As for "one," that word's spelling is so wacky that I'm sure most non-natives just _learn_ that it's pronunced /wun/. In reality, they would do good to do the same for "won," since its spelling isn't really any more "consistent" than that of "one."

*Bottom line: identical pronunciation (barring regional peculiarities)*


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## Fernando

Yes, elroy, but there is a global conspiracy of English teachers worldwide to lie the Spanish-Speaking and French-speaking (at least) people and tell them that one and won are not pronounced the same. After reading the thread it is obvious that our money in English lessons have been stolen. I want my money back.


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## elroy

Fernando said:
			
		

> Yes, elroy, but there is a global conspiracy *among* English teachers worldwide to lie  *to* the  Spanish-Speaking and French-speaking  people *(at least) *and tell them that one and won are not pronounced the same. After reading the thread *I am aware* that *the* money *we* *spent on* English lessons *has* been stolen. I want my money back.


 
That's positively despicable, Fernando.   I *won*der what ulterior motives they may have had behind such duplicity.


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## superromu

maybe they want to simplify our comprehension. 
when i learned (long time ago) i have problem with listening !
so if they didn't make a different pronunciation between one and won i was lost  

so maybe in order to simplify they introduce mistakes !


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## elroy

superromu said:
			
		

> maybe they want to simplify our comprehension.
> when i learned (long time ago) i have problem with listening !
> so if they didn't make a different pronunciation between one and won i was lost
> 
> so maybe in order to simplify they introduce mistakes !


 
SIMPLIFY - at the expense of compromising accuracy.

They may as well tell us that in French "vent," "vin," and "vont" are pronounced the same - it's simpler, isn't it?


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## superromu

it is simpler but totally wrong  
la joie de l'enseignement ! (faire simple pour être compris mais pas trop pour ne pas déformer !) hard to do !


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## elroy

superromu said:
			
		

> it is simpler but totally wrong
> la joie de l'enseignement ! (faire simple pour être compris mais pas trop pour ne pas déformer !) hard to do !


 
Tout à fait!  

I think we should all make it our personal mission to reverse the trend by thwarting moves made by teachers to upset that delicate balance!


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## Mitcheck

i found out that "one" and "won" has the same pronunciation. w&n(one) and w&n(won). it just depend on who(between native and non-native speakers) pronounce the two words.


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## DDT

rayb said:
			
		

> Benjy, could you kindly write in correct English. You are the first to correct others, how can we learn when we read you.



You aren't a new comer so that I don't see why you posted such a harsh remark in these pages...your confrontational attitude is fully pointless.
This is not a chat, please use the PM feature if you have something to add

DDT


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