This is the /u:/ sound. As in the words:
to /tuː/
you /juː/
new /njuː/
It is a Vowel sound and it’s technical name is the ‘Close Back Rounded Vowel’.
Remember that the key to pronunciation s physical
and the name tells us about how the sound is made physically.
In this case your tongue is high and back of your mouth.
Rounded refers to your lips because they are closed together like you are going to kiss someone.
All vowels are made through the mouth and are voiced.
This is similar to the /ʊ/ sound, but the two
little dots mean that it is a longer sounds. /u:/ not /ʊ/.
To produce the sound put your tongue high and at the back of your mouth and lightly
push your lips together while making a long voiced sound with your mouth closed.
The /u:/ sound is spelled in lots of different ways. Sometimes with the letter 'o' or 'o-o'
as in the words: who /huː/
too /tuː/
Or sometimes it is spelled with the letter 'u'. As in the word:
use /juːz/
But it can also be spelled with the letters 'ugh' as in the word:
through /θruː/
Or with the letter ‘e-w’ few /fjuː/
Like with all vowels in English, the spelling can be very inconsistent and you will always
find alternative and unusual spellings of the vowels sounds. It is one of the most difficult
things in English but you just have to learn it.
Words don't normally start with this sound but there are some words that have the sound
in the middle. For example: student /'stjuːdənt/
group /gruːp/
school /skuːl/
move /muːv/
Here are some words with the /u:/ at the end.
do /duː/
two /tuː/
view /vjuː/
value /ˈvæljuː/
So that is it for the /u:/ sound but we have
made additional videos on each of the groups of sounds Vowels, Diphthongs, Single Consonants,
and Consonant Pairs as well as a video explaining the overall phonetic chart.
You can also click on any of the symbols behind me
to see a similar video with lots of example and an explanation about that sound.
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