uː
Vowel
/uː/ — Long close back rounded vowel
Example words
| Word | US English | UK English |
|---|---|---|
| too | /ˈtu/ | /tuː/ |
| food | /ˈfud/ | /fuːd/ |
| blue | /ˈblu/ | /bluː/ |
| moon | /ˈmun/ | /muːn/ |
| school | /ˈskul/ | /skuːl/ |
| room | /ˈɹum/ | /ɹuːm/ |
| true | /ˈtɹu/ | /tɹuː/ |
| shoe | /ˈʃu/ | /ʃuː/ |
| soon | /ˈsun/ | /suːn/ |
| juice | /ˈdʒus/ | /d͡ʒuːs/ |
Transcriptions come from pronunciation lexicons IPAtics maintains, in US and UK English. /uː/ appears only in the UK English transcriptions; the US English dictionary writes these words with another symbol.
How to produce this sound
SoundLong close back rounded vowel.
TongueKeep the tongue body high in the mouth for this vowel target. Retract the tongue body toward the back of the mouth.
LipsRound the lips to the target shape early and hold that rounding steadily.
JawKeep the jaw relatively high (small opening) without clenching.
VoiceKeep voicing continuous and even through the segment.
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs only in /uː/, so hearing them side by side isolates the sound.
- fool/fuːl/full/fʊl/
- Luke/luːk/look/lʊk/
Spelling patterns
- oo as in food
- ue as in blue
- ui as in juice
- oe as in shoe
Practise this sound
- ConverterEnglish to IPA converter
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- In ItalianPronuncia inglese per italiani: gli errori tipici
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