SpeakMetry
    Start free

    Pronunciation · vowel

    The /ʌ/ sound: u as in cup

    In short

    /ʌ/ is a short open-mid central vowel, the vowel you hear in cup, up, love. 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 /ʌ/

    1. 1Relax your lips completely, no rounding, no spreading.
    2. 2Keep your tongue low and central, mouth half-open.
    3. 3Make a short, punchy 'uh': cup, love, money.

    Sounds like: a short grunt 'uh' with a fully relaxed mouth

    /ʌ/ in words, with audio

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

    • cupkʌp · sound is medial
    • upʌp · sound is initial
    • lovelʌv · sound is medial
    • moneyˈmʌni · sound is medial
    • countryˈkʌntri · sound is medial
    • enoughɪˈnʌf · sound is medial

    The mistake almost everyone makes

    Rounding the lips so 'luck' sounds like 'look', or fronting it so 'cut' sounds like 'cat'. Spelling misleads here: 'love', 'money' and 'country' all use /ʌ/.

    Who struggles with this sound:

    • Farsi speakers: /ʌ/ shifts towards /ɑ/ or /ɔ/: 'but' → 'bot', 'luck' → 'lock'

    Spellings of /ʌ/

    These letter patterns commonly spell /ʌ/: u o ou oo. 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.

    Words that drill /ʌ/

    Each has a full breakdown, audio in both accents and a recording drill. Practising a sound inside a real word transfers better than practising it alone.

    comfortableKUMF-tuh-bulsubtleSUT-ulmuscleMUS-ulplumberPLUM-uhsubjectSUB-jiktsuspectSUS-pektinsultIN-sultmonthsMUNTHS

    Browse the whole word bank

    Keep exploring

    Frequently asked questions

    How do you pronounce the /ʌ/ sound?
    Relax your lips completely, no rounding, no spreading. Keep your tongue low and central, mouth half-open. Make a short, punchy 'uh': cup, love, money.
    What is the most common mistake with /ʌ/?
    Rounding the lips so 'luck' sounds like 'look', or fronting it so 'cut' sounds like 'cat'. Spelling misleads here: 'love', 'money' and 'country' all use /ʌ/.
    Which spellings make the /ʌ/ sound?
    Common spellings include “u”, “o”, “ou”, “oo”, as in cup /kʌp/, up /ʌp/, love /lʌv/.
    Does /ʌ/ 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

    Hear how close your /ʌ/ is

    Record the sound and get instant AI feedback on it, free and with no account. SpeakMetry then maps every sound that needs work across your whole accent.

    Check your pronunciation