How to pronounce wonder and wander

Hi, everyone

As dictionaries say "to wonder" should be pronounced like /w^nder/, while "to wander" like /wOnder/. Quite often I hear people say /wOnder/ (meaning ramble) when they actually mean /w^nder/ - to think.

Here is the example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEfLUl58bVY

According to dictionaries it should be /w^nder/, but I clearly hear /wOnder/...

So, my question is, how to say "to wonder" (think), properly?
Thank you,

The dictionaries are correct. In American English, they are:

wonder ["wVnd@`]
wander ["wAnd@`]

And in Southern British English, they are:

wonder ["wVnd@]
wander ["wQnd@]

<<Quite often I hear people say /wOnder/ (meaning ramble) when they actually mean /w^nder/ - to think.>>

I don't recall ever hearing that.

<<According to dictionaries it should be /w^nder/, but I clearly hear /wOnder/...>>

To my ears, he's clearly saying ["wVnd@`].

<<So, my question is, how to say "to wonder" (think), properly?>>

As far as I know, most people (including me) pronounce it to rhyme with "under" or "plunder".

Thanks for your reply, Lazar
I got your point, I must understand now that the problem lies in my hearing.

Can you confirm though, that to your ears Del Shannon sounds like
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/wonder

And nothing like
http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/wander

Because to me, the opposite is true.
Thank you

I have /wAnd@`/ and /wVnd@`/. They're clearly different.

<<Can you confirm though, that to your ears Del Shannon sounds like...And nothing like...Because to me, the opposite is true.>>

It sounds to me like he's saying ["wVnd@`]. It sounds just the same as the vowel he uses in "love" and "done".

<< I have /wAnd@`/ and /wVnd@`/. They're clearly different >>

Stop, what is 'V' sound?

<< It sounds to me like he's saying ["wVnd@`]. It sounds just the same as the vowel he uses in "love" and "done" >>

Thanks. For me it is more like 'ponder' or 'yonder'. (in British pronunciation)

<<Stop, what is 'V' sound?>>

Mike and I are using the phonetic alphabet called X-SAMPA. You can see what all the symbols mean here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-SAMPA . The symbol [V] represents the vowel sound in words like "cut" and "strut".

<< I have /wAnd@`/ and /wVnd@`/. They're clearly different >>

For you, Del Shannon also sings /wVnder/?

>>The dictionaries are correct. In American English, they are:

wonder ["wVnd@`]
wander ["wAnd@`]

And in Southern British English, they are:

wonder ["wVnd@]
wander ["wQnd@]<<

I assume you mean General American, of course, as at least here they are:

wonder ["wV~:ndR=]
wander ['wQ~:ndR=]

Ignoring the marking of long nasal vowels, which is more just a difference in transcription than in that actually being transcribed, this is superficially more like the Southern English English pattern with respect to the vowels used. Such is superficial, though, because this [Q] does not actually directly correspond to historical /Q/ but is due to [wQ] -> [wO] (rather than [wQ] -> [wA]) -> [wQ] (thanks to the general lowering of [O] -> [Q] when not before /r/).

<<I assume you mean General American, of course,...>

Yes, I meant General American. In my own New England dialect, I also pronounce "wander" as ["wQnd@`]. ;-)

["w6n.d@]
["wOn.d@]