/ʌ/

short vowel

The Short U Sound

as in cup

How to make the /ʌ/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Mouth relaxed and half-open.
  2. 2Tongue rests low-central — completely neutral.
  3. 3A short grunt-like "uh".

⚠ The most common mistake

Rounding the lips into "oo", so "luck" sounds like "look".

Especially tricky for speakers of: French, Spanish, Japanese.

Train your ear: /ʌ/ vs /ɑː/

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

Practice: Record & Compare

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

Practice words with /ʌ/

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

More short vowels

See all 44 sounds of English →