In my Pronunciation and Shadowing Courses, I evaluate each student’s pronunciation. One common mistake I’ve noticed is related to the letter “u” – several students have pronounced the word “public” more like pooblic. In today’s lesson you’re going to learn and practice the difference between the “long U sound” and the “short U sound.”
Short “U” sound
Examples – listen and repeat:
- public
- but
- cup
- lucky
- fun
- hug
- truck
- underwear
- uncle
- ugly
Long “U” sound
Examples – listen and repeat:
- rude
- stupid
- tube
- student
- flute
- June
- include
- rule
- tulip
- duty
Note: this same sound is also spelled in several other ways, such as “oo” (food), “ew” (news), and “ue” (blue).
How can you tell if it’s a long U sound or short U sound?
In general, the pattern is:
- “u” + consonant + vowel = Long “u” sound
- “u” + consonant + (end of word) = Short “u” sound
- “u” + consonant + consonant = Short “u” sound
This is why it’s important to listen to English in addition to just reading it, so that you will have better pronunciation!
More pronunciation practice:
