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Pronunciation · vowel

The /uː/ sound — oo as in blue

In short

/uː/ is a long close back rounded vowel — the vowel you hear in blue, food, two. Like every diphthong, the glide between two positions IS the sound. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.

How to pronounce /uː/

  1. 1Round your lips tightly and push them slightly forward.
  2. 2Raise the back of your tongue high.
  3. 3Hold the sound long: bluuue, fooood.

Sounds like: a long 'oo' as if blowing gently through rounded lips

/uː/ in words — with audio

Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.

  • blue/bluː/ · sound is final
  • food/fuːd/ · sound is medial
  • two/tuː/ · sound is final
  • rule/ruːl/ · sound is medial
  • group/ɡruːp/ · sound is medial
  • through/θruː/ · sound is final

The mistake almost everyone makes

Making it too short and relaxed so 'pool' sounds like 'pull'. Tight lip rounding plus length are what mark /uː/.

Spellings of /uː/

These letter patterns commonly spell /uː/: oo u_e ue ew ou o. English spelling is unreliable — trust the IPA, not the letters.

Don't confuse it with…

Minimal pairs isolate the exact contrast — the fastest way to train both your ear and your mouth.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce the /uː/ sound?
Round your lips tightly and push them slightly forward. Raise the back of your tongue high. Hold the sound long: bluuue, fooood.
What is the most common mistake with /uː/?
Making it too short and relaxed so 'pool' sounds like 'pull'. Tight lip rounding plus length are what mark /uː/.
Which spellings make the /uː/ sound?
Common spellings include “oo”, “u_e”, “ue”, “ew”, “ou”, “o” — as in blue /bluː/, food /fuːd/, two /tuː/.
Does /uː/ matter for IELTS?
Yes — this is a high-priority sound. Errors here frequently change one word into another, which examiners hear as reduced clarity (the exact Band 6 wording is “mispronunciation … reduces clarity at times”).

Next step

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