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Pronunciation · diphthong

The /ʊə/ sound — ure as in tour

In short

/ʊə/ is a centring diphthong: glides from /ʊ/ towards schwa /ə/ — the diphthong you hear in tour, pure, cure. 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 /ʊə/

  1. 1Start with the relaxed /ʊ/ of 'book'.
  2. 2Open into a schwa, with no r sound (British).
  3. 3Tour, pure, cure.

Sounds like: 'oo-uh' blended into one syllable

/ʊə/ in words — with audio

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

  • tour/tʊə/ · sound is final
  • pure/pjʊə/ · sound is final
  • cure/kjʊə/ · sound is final
  • sure/ʃʊə/ · sound is final
  • tourist/ˈtʊərɪst/ · sound is medial
  • furious/ˈfjʊəriəs/ · sound is medial

The mistake almost everyone makes

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

Spellings of /ʊə/

These letter patterns commonly spell /ʊə/: our ure oor. English spelling is unreliable — trust the IPA, not the letters.

British vs American: American English uses /ʊr/: 'tour' = /tʊr/.

Keep exploring

Frequently asked 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.

Next step

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