Sign inThe Letter U in American English
In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter U. It is the twenty-first letter of the English alphabet. Still aiming at learning more? C'mon.
U is the twenty-first letter and the fifth vowel letter of the English alphabet.
Vowels are sounds that are pronounced without any restriction in the vocal tract. It means we can produce it with the unrestricted flow of air.
| Uppercase Form | U |
|---|---|
| Lowercase | u |
| Name | u (pronounced /ˈjuː/) |
| Common Sounds | /ʌ/, /uː/, /ə/, /ʊ/, /ju:/ |
The Letter U: Sounds
Vowels in the English language can have many many sounds. Here we will look at some of its common ones.
Common Sounds
Sound 1: /ʌ/
The letter 'u' mainly sounds /ʌ/:
b
dr
Sound 2: /uː/
'u' also sounds /u:/ in some words:
fe
dr
J
Sound 3: /ə/
'u' can sound /ə/ if it comes before 's' in the last syllable of a word:
walr
circ
vir
Sound 4: /ʊ/
'u' also sounds /ʊ/:
p
p
b
Sound 5: /ju/
'u' sometimes sounds /ju/:
comp
Other Sounds
Sound 6: /w/
'u' sometimes sounds /w/ if it is placed after g' or 'q' and before a vowel:
peng
q
harleq
Sound 7: /ɪ/
'u' also sounds /ɪ/ in some cases:
b
b
Sound 8: /jʊ/
'u' sounds /jʊ/:
p
f
sec
Tip
The letter 'u' also has the /e/ sound in a few words:
b
The Letter U: Multigraphs
'U' can also appear in combination with other letters (mainly vowels and sometimes consonants). They can create distinct vowels:
ue
'ue' at the end or in the middle of words sounds /u:/
bl
gl
cl
ui
'ui' together sounds /uː/:
fr
j
s
However, 'ui' sometimes sounds /ɪ/:
bisc
b
circ
ou
'ou' in the middle of words has four sounds; the first one is / aʊ/:
h
cl
m
'ou' also sounds /ʌ/:
t
t
c
'ou' also sounds /uː/:
gr
s
y
'ou' also sounds /əʊ/:
sh
b
s
'ou' at the end of words sounds /ə/:
enorm
fam
outrage
'ou' also sounds /ʊ/:
cont
t
t
Tip
In the word 'cough', the letters 'ou' sounds /ɑː/:
c
our
'our' mainly sounds /ɔːr/:
f
c
'our' also sounds /ʊr/:
cont
t
t
ough
'ough' sounds /aʊ/:
dr
b
'ough' sounds /əʊ/ in some words:
alth
d
'ough' also sounds /ɑː/:
th
br
'ough' also sounds /ə/:
thor
bor
au
'au' sounds /ɑː/:
sauce /sɑːs/
l
'au' also sounds /æ/:
laugh /læf/
Tip
'au' in French loanwords sounds /əʊ/:
m
aur
'aur' sounds /ɔːr/:
cent
tyrannos
augh
'augh' sounds /ɑː/:
c
d
n
eau
'eau' mainly in French loanwords sounds /əʊ/:
gat
chat
plat
Orthography
One thing to note is that certain varieties of the English language (i.e. British English, Canadian English, etc.) use the letter U in words such as colour, labour, valour, etc.; however, in American English the letter is not used and said words mentioned are spelled as color and so on.
The Letter U: Uses
The letter ⟨u⟩ is used in
Comments
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