Words that start with U in English don’t all sound the same! Here’s pronunciation practice for lots of English words beginning with U.
English words starting with U – “uh” sound
- ugly
- umbrella
- unexpected
- unlucky
- unhappy
- unattractive
- ultimate
- uncle
- upgrade
- upstairs
- upright
- upset
- utterly
We use an with these words:
- an unhappy person
- an ugly car
- an upstairs bedroom
- an utterly terrible experience
English words starting with U – “you” sound
- uniform
- university
- unique
- unite
- ubiquitous
- Uganda
- useful
- usually
- uterus
- utilize
- union
We use a with these words:
- a uniform
- a university
- a unique perspective
- a useful tool
English words starting with U – “er” sound
- urgent
- urban
- urge
- urn
We use an with these words:
- an urgent message
- an urban area
- an urge to say something
- an urn
English words starting with U – “yer” sound
- uranium
- urine, urinate, urologist
We use a with these words:
- a urologist
- a urinary tract infection
(“uranium” is uncountable, so we don’t use “a.” But we can say a uranium-based compound)
Now you know how to pronounce many English words that start with U! If you’re curious about other words beginning with U that weren’t on this list, you can check the pronunciation in an online dictionary that includes audio.
More pronunciation practice:
