ʊ
Vowel
/ʊ/ — Near-close near-back rounded vowel
Example words
| Word | US English | UK English |
|---|---|---|
| put | /ˈpʊt/ | /pʊt/ |
| foot | /ˈfʊt/ | /fʊt/ |
| good | /ˈɡʊd/ | /ɡʊd/ |
| book | /ˈbʊk/ | /bʊk/ |
| look | /ˈlʊk/ | /lʊk/ |
| cook | /ˈkʊk/ | /kʊk/ |
| push | /ˈpʊʃ/ | /pʊʃ/ |
| full | /ˈfʊl/ | /fʊl/ |
| wood | /ˈwʊd/ | /wʊd/ |
| sugar | /ˈʃʊɡɚ/ | /ʃʊɡə/ |
Transcriptions come from pronunciation lexicons IPAtics maintains, in US and UK English.
How to produce this sound
SoundNear-close near-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 /ʊ/, so hearing them side by side isolates the sound.
- full/ˈfʊl/fool/ˈful/
- look/ˈlʊk/luck/ˈlʌk/
- could/ˈkʊd/cud/kʌd/
Spelling patterns
- oo as in good
- u as in put
Practise this sound
- ConverterEnglish to IPA converter
- In TurkishTürklerin İngilizce Telaffuzda Yaptığı 15 Yaygın Hata
- In SpanishPronunciación en inglés para hispanohablantes
- In FrenchPrononciation anglaise : erreurs des francophones
- In PortuguesePronúncia em inglês para brasileiros: erros comuns
- In ItalianPronuncia inglese per italiani: gli errori tipici
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