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I pronounce floor and flaw identically

Yes, Jono, I've always accepted that for many people the words do sound the same - but for many other people (in Scotland, the north of England, perhaps Wales) they are totally different. I''d just like to see 'by/for some' added to whatever the 'sounds like' indicator is. I wouldn't even demand or expect it all the time, just occasionally!

Thanks, Malone. Clearly it doesn’t work for Mathprof in the US either. Is the difference in ‘floor’ being pronounced more like ‘flew-er’ or something else?

Morning, Jono. My 'floor' is pronounced rather like 'flow', with an 'r' , verging towards 'er', added. My 'flaw' sounds like paw, caw and definitely has no R sound at the end.

I must get my eyes tested.

Malone, that's an interesting way of saying floor. I've never heard it before but then I'm not Scottish. I don't think it's too fanciful to think of it as a relic of the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation. The word then was flōr, pronounced fl-oh-r (with the r sounded). A long time ago, I know, but a number of words of Anglo-Saxon and viking origin have been kept alive by the Scots.

Orso, the 'interesting' way to pronounce 'floor' is shared by probably at least 5 million British people - not all of them Scottish. My friends in the north (of England) certainly don't fall into the floor/flaw category. It might be a relic of the Anglo-Saxon pronunciation - and it's a perfectly valid one for Chambers, so I just think of it as ... normal!

Malone

Yes your pronounciation of "floor" is also heard in some areas near here. I would say it is normal, although I regard my "flaw" as normal too.

Same with "poor". I say "paw" but poo-er is common here.

Malone Grunger

I pronounce oar, awe, or, ore, o'er exactly the same. Same for poor, pour, pore; law, lore, lure.

Definitely the "r" sound at the end of floor. I understand that some Brits don't pronounce the "r", but I would have thought that the vowel sounds would still be different. Having seen this homophone in a crossword previously, I got the latest clue right away, but I have to agree with Malone that there should at least be a "for some" type of indicator. At least the fiddle clue had that, so that makes it acceptable in my book.

Jono, if we ever have another Zoom meetup, I will have to get you to say floor and flaw. 😀