the pronunciation of bowed

Age and hard work bowed her once straight back.

In the above sentence, what is the vowel sound of the word bowed? Is it the same as the vowel in no or is it the same as the vowel in how?

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how

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Is pronounced bəʊd. This is the vowel in ‘no’ and ‘low’.

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This answer is incorrect. The word ‘bow’ (n) meaning a polite gesture of respect when a person bends slightly forward is pronounced /baʊ/.
Because these words are homographs (same spelling but different sound). Confusing their pronunciation is a common mistake.

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Like a bow and arrow.

As a verb, bow means to curve or bend.

Bowed back = curved back.
A bow (and arrow) = a curved piece of wood.

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I hadn’t realised that. Thanks it will help my students remember the difference. :+1:

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