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Written by Maria Fernandez

How to produce the /u:/

Free lesson from Maria’s course: How to produce the /u:/ sound

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English pronunciation course

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This is what the /u:/ sounds like when said by a native speaker. Press Play to hear it, and flip the flashcard to see and hear its sample word.

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-sound-james.mp3
/u:/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-word-james.mp3
tooth
/tu:θ/


How do you produce the /u:/ sound?

In this section I’m going to show you step by step what your lips and tongue must do to produce the /u:/. First, let’s see the /u:/ in action. Press Play to watch this short video:

Now let’s see what your lips should look like when you’re saying the /u:/:

British English pronunciation course - lips

And this is the position of the tongue. If you need help understanding this image, go here.

English pronunciation course - tongue

Let’s listen again to the /u:/ and its sample word:

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-sound-james.mp3
/u:/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-word-james.mp3
tooth
/tu:θ/


Do you want to have a go? Place the tip of your tongue behind your bottom front teeth; then shape your lips like in the picture below, and say /u:/ a couple of times.

English pronunciation course - lips & tongue

Listen again to the /u:/ said by a native speaker. Play it several times to get used to the /u:/, and then say it out loud along with the recording. Make sure your /u:/ is a long sound.

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-sound-james.mp3
/u:/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-word-james.mp3
tooth
/tu:θ/


To make sure you’re saying the /u:/ right, use a mirror to compare your lip shape with this image:

British English pronunciation course - lips

Let’s have another go at the /u:/. Make sure your lips are rounded and almost closed, like in the picture above, and your tongue is high at the back. Now, say the /u:/.

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-sound-james.mp3
/u:/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/tooth-word-james.mp3
tooth
/tu:θ/


There should be a gap between the tip of your tongue and your bottom front teeth. Let’s see again how it should look:

English pronunciation course - tongue

Notice that the middle part of your tongue should be more than halfway up, while the tip is behind your bottom front teeth and the back is high.

You can check those positions by doing this exercise in front of a mirror:

  • While saying /u:/ move the tip of your tongue forward to check that it’s behind your bottom front teeth.
  • Then, while saying /u:/ again, raise the middle part of your tongue to check the distance from the palate.
  • If it’s too low, close your mouth a little and it’ll rise.

You can do this exercise with me in my Live English Classes.

Let’s say some words with an /u:/ sound

Let’s now say three words with an /u:/. First, play each word a few times and listen to it carefully. Remember that /u:/ is a long sound.

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fruit-baz.mp3
fruit

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fruit-baz.mp3
fruit
/fru:t/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/soon-baz.mp3
soon

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/soon-baz.mp3
soon
/su:n/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/few-baz.mp3
few

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/few-baz.mp3
few
/fju:/



Now it’s your turn to speak. Press Play and say these three words out loud after the recordings:

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fruit-baz.mp3
fruit

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fruit-baz.mp3
fruit
/fru:t/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/soon-baz.mp3
soon

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/soon-baz.mp3
soon
/su:n/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/few-baz.mp3
few

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/few-baz.mp3
few
/fju:/


When practising words, make sure you say them out loud, as if you were talking to me. To train your lips and tongue to produce the English sounds, it’s essential that you say words out loud, not just quietly in your head.

Have another go:

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fruit-baz.mp3
fruit

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fruit-baz.mp3
fruit
/fru:t/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/soon-baz.mp3
soon

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/soon-baz.mp3
soon
/su:n/

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/few-baz.mp3
few

https://learnenglishwithmaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/few-baz.mp3
few
/fju:/


Let’s play those flashcards again

To master the /u:/, come back to this page every now and then to remind yourself of the lip shape and tongue position.

To master it even faster, go through this page one more time now. Click here to flip all the flashcards and play them again.

Would you like to practise the /u:/ with me?

You can get more tips on how to produce the /u:/ always right in my Live English Classes.

There, you also get to do more pronunciation exercises with me.

What’s next?

In the next section I show you the spellings for the /u:/.

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  • English Pronunciation course
    • INTRODUCTION TO COURSE


      Free samples, price & details
      • Free samples from course
        • Pre-test your /ɪ/
        • How to produce the /u:/
        • Spellings – /əʊ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /d/
        • Unexpected words – /ŋ/
        • Listening drill – /r/
        • Speaking drill – /θ/
      • Course price & details
        • Course lesson plan
        • Course description
        • About your teacher
        • Course price
        • Money-back guarantee
        • Subscribe to this course
        • Need help?
    • MODULE 1


      Individual English sounds
      • Start here: course overview
        • General tips to improve fast
        • How to – Pre-tests
        • How to – Produce
        • How to – Spellings
        • How to – Mistakes
        • How to – Unexpected
        • How to – Listening
        • How to – Speaking
        • How to – Revise
        • How to – Tongue images
      • The phonetic alphabet
        • What is it?
        • Let’s learn the alphabet
        • What is a consonant?
        • Voiced & voiceless
      • The /æ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /æ/
        • How to produce the /æ/
        • Spellings – /æ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /æ/
        • Unexpected words – /æ/
        • Listening drill – /æ/
        • Speaking drill – /æ /
      • The /a:/ sound
        • Pre-test your /a:/
        • How to produce the /a:/
        • Spellings – /a:/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /a:/
        • Unexpected words – /a:/
        • Listening drill – /a:/
        • Speaking drill – /a:/
      • The /e/ sound
        • Pre-test your /e/
        • How to produce the /e/
        • Spellings – /e/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /e/
        • Unexpected words – /e/
        • Listening drill – /e/
        • Speaking drill – /e/
      • The /ɜ:/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ɜ:/
        • How to produce the /ɜ:/
        • Spellings – /ɜ:/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ɜ:/
        • Unexpected words – /ɜ:/
        • Listening drill – /ɜ:/
        • Speaking drill – /ɜ:/
      • The /ɪ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ɪ/
        • How to produce the /ɪ/
        • Spellings – /ɪ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ɪ/
        • Unexpected words – /ɪ/
        • Listening drill – /ɪ/
        • Speaking drill – /ɪ/
      • The /i:/ sound
        • Pre-test your /i:/
        • How to produce the /i:/
        • /i:/ versus /i/
        • Spellings – /i:/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /i:/
        • Unexpected words – /i:/
        • Listening drill – /i:/
        • Speaking drill – /i:/
      • The /ɒ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ɒ/
        • How to produce the /ɒ/
        • Spellings – /ɒ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ɒ/
        • Unexpected words – /ɒ/
        • Listening drill – /ɒ/
        • Speaking drill – /ɒ/
      • The /ɔ:/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ɔ:/
        • How to produce the /ɔ:/
        • Spellings – /ɔ:/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ɔ:/
        • Unexpected words – /ɔ:/
        • Listening drill – /ɔ:/
        • Speaking drill – /ɔ:/
      • The /ʊ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ʊ/
        • How to produce the /ʊ/
        • Spellings – /ʊ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ʊ/
        • Unexpected words – /ʊ/
        • Listening drill – /ʊ/
        • Speaking drill – /ʊ/
      • The /u:/ sound
        • Pre-test your /u:/
        • How to produce the /u:/
        • Spellings – /u:/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /u:/
        • Unexpected words – /u:/
        • Listening drill – /u:/
        • Speaking drill – /u:/
      • The /ʌ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ʌ/
        • How to produce the /ʌ/
        • Spellings – /ʌ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ʌ/
        • Unexpected words – /ʌ/
        • Listening drill – /ʌ/
        • Speaking drill – /ʌ/
      • The /ə/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ə/
        • The superscript /ə/
        • How to produce the /ə/
        • Spellings – /ə/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ə/
        • Unexpected words – /ə/
        • Listening drill – /ə/
        • Speaking drill – /ə/
      • The /aɪ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /aɪ/
        • How to produce the /aɪ/
        • Spellings – /aɪ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /aɪ/
        • Unexpected words – /aɪ/
        • Listening drill – /aɪ/
        • Speaking drill – /aɪ/
      • The /aʊ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /aʊ/
        • How to produce the /aʊ/
        • Spellings – /aʊ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /aʊ/
        • Unexpected words – /aʊ/
        • Listening drill – /aʊ/
        • Speaking drill – /aʊ/
      • The /eə/ sound
        • Pre-test your /eə/
        • How to produce the /eə/
        • Spellings – /eə/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /eə/
        • Unexpected words – /eə/
        • Listening drill – /eə/
        • Speaking drill – /eə/
      • The /eɪ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /eɪ/
        • How to produce the /eɪ/
        • Spellings – /eɪ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /eɪ/
        • Unexpected words – /eɪ/
        • Listening drill – /eɪ/
        • Speaking drill – /eɪ/
      • The /ɪə/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ɪə/
        • How to produce the /ɪə/
        • Spellings – /ɪə/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ɪə/
        • Unexpected words – /ɪə/
        • Listening drill – /ɪə/
        • Speaking drill – /ɪə/
      • The /ɔɪ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ɔɪ/
        • How to produce the /ɔɪ/
        • Spellings – /ɔɪ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ɔɪ/
        • Unexpected words – /ɔɪ/
        • Listening drill – /ɔɪ/
        • Speaking drill – /ɔɪ/
      • The /əʊ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /əʊ/
        • How to produce the /əʊ/
        • Spellings – /əʊ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /əʊ/
        • Unexpected words – /əʊ/
        • Listening drill – /əʊ/
        • Speaking drill – /əʊ/
      • The /ʊə/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ʊə/
        • How to produce the /ʊə/
        • Spellings – /ʊə/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ʊə/
        • Unexpected words – /ʊə/
        • Listening drill – /ʊə/
        • Speaking drill – /ʊə/
      • The /b/ sound
        • Pre-test your /b/
        • How to produce the /b/
        • Spellings – /b/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /b/
        • Unexpected words – /b/
        • Listening drill – /b/
        • Speaking drill – /b/
      • The /d/ sound
        • Pre-test your /d/
        • How to produce the /d/
        • Spellings – /d/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /d/
        • Unexpected words – /d/
        • Listening drill – /d/
        • Speaking drill – /d/
      • The /f/ sound
        • Pre-test your /f/
        • How to produce the /f/
        • Spellings – /f/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /f/
        • Unexpected words – /f/
        • Listening drill – /f/
        • Speaking drill – /f/
      • The /g/ sound
        • Pre-test your /g/
        • How to produce the /g/
        • Spellings – /g/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /g/
        • Unexpected words – /g/
        • Listening drill – /g/
        • Speaking drill – /g/
      • The /h/ sound
        • Pre-test your /h/
        • How to produce the /h/
        • Spellings – /h/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /h/
        • Unexpected words – /h/
        • Listening drill – /h/
        • Speaking drill – /h/
      • The /k/ sound
        • Pre-test your /k/
        • How to produce the /k/
        • Spellings – /k/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /k/
        • Unexpected words – /k/
        • Listening drill – /k/
        • Speaking drill – /k/
      • The light L sound
        • Pre-test your light L
        • How to produce the light L
        • Spellings – light L
        • Mistakes to avoid – light L
        • Unexpected words – light L
        • Listening drill – light L
        • Speaking drill – light L
      • The dark L sound
        • Pre-test your dark L
        • How to produce the dark L
        • Spellings – dark L
        • Mistakes to avoid – dark L
        • Unexpected words – dark L
        • Listening drill – dark L
        • Speaking drill – dark L
      • The /m/ sound
        • Pre-test your /m/
        • How to produce the /m/
        • Spellings – /m/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /m/
        • Unexpected words – /m/
        • Listening drill – /m/
        • Speaking drill – /m/
      • The /n/ sound
        • Pre-test your /n/
        • How to produce the /n/
        • Spellings – /n/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /n/
        • Unexpected words – /n/
        • Listening drill – /n/
        • Speaking drill – /n/
      • The /ŋ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ŋ/
        • How to produce the /ŋ/
        • Spellings – /ŋ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ŋ/
        • Unexpected words – /ŋ/
        • Listening drill – /ŋ/
        • Speaking drill – /ŋ/
      • The /p/ sound
        • Pre-test your /p/
        • How to produce the /p/
        • Spellings – /p/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /p/
        • Unexpected words – /p/
        • Listening drill – /p/
        • Speaking drill – /p/
      • The /r/ sound
        • Pre-test your /r/
        • How to produce the /r/
        • Spellings – /r/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /r/
        • Unexpected words – /r/
        • Listening drill – /r/
        • Speaking drill – /r/
      • The /s/ sound
        • Pre-test your /s/
        • How to produce the /s/
        • Spellings – /s/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /s/
        • Unexpected words – /s/
        • Listening drill – /s/
        • Speaking drill – /s/
      • The /ʃ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ʃ/
        • How to produce the /ʃ/
        • Spellings – /ʃ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ʃ/
        • Unexpected words – /ʃ/
        • Listening drill – /ʃ/
        • Speaking drill – /ʃ/
      • The /ʒ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ʒ/
        • How to produce the /ʒ/
        • Spellings – /ʒ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ʒ/
        • Unexpected words – /ʒ/
        • Listening drill – /ʒ/
        • Speaking drill – /ʒ/
      • The /dʒ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /dʒ/
        • How to produce the /dʒ/
        • Spellings – /dʒ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /dʒ/
        • Unexpected words – /dʒ/
        • Listening drill – /dʒ/
        • Speaking drill – /dʒ/
      • The /t/ sound
        • Pre-test your /t/
        • How to produce the /t/
        • Spellings – /t/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /t/
        • Unexpected words – /t/
        • Listening drill – /t/
        • Speaking drill – /t/
      • The /tʃ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /tʃ/
        • How to produce the /tʃ/
        • Spellings – /tʃ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /tʃ/
        • Unexpected words – /tʃ/
        • Listening drill – /tʃ/
        • Speaking drill – /tʃ/
      • The /θ/ sound
        • Pre-test your /θ/
        • How to produce the /θ/
        • Spellings – /θ/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /θ/
        • Unexpected words – /θ/
        • Listening drill – /θ/
        • Speaking drill – /θ/
      • The /ð/ sound
        • Pre-test your /ð/
        • How to produce the /ð/
        • Spellings – /ð/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /ð/
        • Unexpected words – /ð/
        • Listening drill – /ð/
        • Speaking drill – /ð/
      • The /v/ sound
        • Pre-test your /v/
        • How to produce the /v/
        • Spellings – /v/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /v/
        • Unexpected words – /v/
        • Listening drill – /v/
        • Speaking drill – /v/
      • The /w/ sound
        • Pre-test your /w/
        • How to produce the /w/
        • Spellings – /w/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /w/
        • Unexpected words – /w/
        • Listening drill – /w/
        • Speaking drill – /w/
      • The /j/ sound
        • Pre-test your /j/
        • How to produce the /j/
        • Spellings – /j/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /j/
        • Unexpected words – /j/
        • Listening drill – /j/
        • Speaking drill – /j/
      • The /z/ sound
        • Pre-test your /z/
        • How to produce the /z/
        • Spellings – /z/
        • Mistakes to avoid – /z/
        • Unexpected words – /z/
        • Listening drill – /z/
        • Speaking drill – /z/
    • MODULE 2 – Coming soon


      Common mistakes by language
      When will it be available?
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