down, dawn

down - /daʊn/

dawn - /dɔːn/

• We hiked down the mountain just before dawn.
• As the dawn broke, the temperatures began to go down.
• They stayed up all night and finally went down to sleep at dawn.
• The street lights turn off at dawn when the sun starts to rise down the street.
• We watched the stars slowly fade away at dawn, as the sky lightened down in the east.
• The mist settled down in the valley right as dawn arrived.
• He climbed down from his rooftop just as the first light of dawn appeared.
• By dawn, the rain had stopped, and the clouds were drifting down the hills.
• The birds flew down from their nests as soon as dawn broke.
• We camped on a hill to watch the sky go from dark to light as dawn came up and the stars went down.

Key Differences:

    • Down (toward a lower position or place): /daʊn/

    • Dawn (the first appearance of light in the morning): /dɔːn/

Down has the /aʊ/ diphthong sound (like "how"), while dawn has the /ɔː/ sound, a long "aw" sound as in "law."