The distinction between the vowels /ɑ/ and /ɔ/ is slight, but important in many dialects. For many on the east coast, the words cot and caught are minimal pairs. They are two different words with unique pronunciations. In parts of the west, the vowels have merged in favor of /ɑ/. So in Utah, for example, these words are pronounced identically. Likewise, the vowels also merged in the northeast – except favoring /ɔ/.
