uː
The /uː/ sound: oo as in blue
- Vowel
- Long
- High priority for IELTS
Hear it
in blue
- Lips
- Rounded
- Tongue
- High and to the back
- Voice
- On
- Length
- Long: hold it
The sound on its own: recording by No machine-readable author provided. Denelson83 assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. Credits
How to make /uː/
- 1
Round your lips tightly and push them slightly forward.
- 2
Raise the back of your tongue high.
- 3
Hold the sound long: bluuue, fooood.
- Sounds like
- a long 'oo' as if blowing gently through rounded lips
/ʊ/ vs /uː/: full vs fool
Every pair/ʊ/ is short with loose lips; /uː/ is long with tightly rounded, pushed-forward lips. Whistle-shape your lips for 'fool'; relax everything for 'full'.
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Which word do you hear?
How /uː/ is spelled
oou … eueewouo
The usual mistake
Making it too short and relaxed so 'pool' sounds like 'pull'. Tight lip rounding plus length are what mark /uː/.
Words to practise
Say it and get scored
Read blue, food, two, rule, group, through aloud. Free, no account.
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”).