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    ʊə

    The /ʊə/ sound: ure as in tour

    • Diphthong
    • Glides
    • Polish

    Hear it

    in tour

    Lips
    Open, then relax
    Tongue
    Glides to the middle
    Voice
    On
    Length
    Long: one sound that moves

    How to make /ʊə/

    1. 1

      Start with the relaxed /ʊ/ of 'book'.

    2. 2

      Open into a schwa, with no r sound (British).

    3. 3

      Tour, pure, cure.

    Sounds like
    'oo-uh' blended into one syllable
    British and American
    American English uses /ʊr/: 'tour' = /tʊr/.

    How /ʊə/ is spelled

    • our
    • ure
    • oor

    The usual mistake

    Overthinking it: many modern British speakers say /ɔː/ instead ('sure' = /ʃɔː/, 'poor' = /pɔː/), and that is completely acceptable. Just avoid a hard r ending.

    Say it and get scored

    Read tour, pure, cure, sure, tourist, furious aloud. Free, no account.

    Check my /ʊə/

    Questions

    How do you pronounce the /ʊə/ sound?
    Start with the relaxed /ʊ/ of 'book'. Open into a schwa, with no r sound (British). Tour, pure, cure.
    What is the most common mistake with /ʊə/?
    Overthinking it: many modern British speakers say /ɔː/ instead ('sure' = /ʃɔː/, 'poor' = /pɔː/), and that is completely acceptable. Just avoid a hard r ending.
    Which spellings make the /ʊə/ sound?
    Common spellings include “our”, “ure”, “oor”, as in tour /tʊə/, pure /pjʊə/, cure /kjʊə/.
    Is /ʊə/ different in American English?
    American English uses /ʊr/: 'tour' = /tʊr/. IELTS accepts both; pick one model and stay consistent.
    Does /ʊə/ matter for IELTS?
    It is a polish-level sound: errors are audible but rarely stop a listener understanding you. IELTS scores intelligibility, not perfection; prioritise the contrasts that change word meaning.