//

long vowel

The Long OO Sound

as in blue

How to make the // sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Round your lips into a small tight circle.
  2. 2Pull the tongue high and far back.
  3. 3Hold it long: "oooo" as in "moon".

⚠ The most common mistake

Using short oo, so "fool" sounds like "full".

Especially tricky for speakers of: Spanish, Arabic.

Train your ear: // vs /ʊ/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying blue, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with //

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More long vowels

See all 44 sounds of English →