/ʊ/

short vowel

The Short OO Sound

as in book

How to make the /ʊ/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Lips loosely rounded — not tight.
  2. 2Tongue high-back but relaxed.
  3. 3Very short: "uh" with round lips, as in "good".

⚠ The most common mistake

Using long OO so "full" turns into "fool".

Especially tricky for speakers of: Spanish, Greek, Polish.

Train your ear: /ʊ/ vs //

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

Practice: Record & Compare

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

Practice words with /ʊ/

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

More short vowels

See all 44 sounds of English →