long u

The /uː/ sound is a long, voiced, high back rounded vowel. In practical terms, it is the English “oo” sound.

Start by shaping the mouth so it is fairly closed, with the jaw only slightly open. The mouth should not be wide. This is a close vowel, so the lower jaw stays relatively high.

The lips are rounded. They should form a small, relaxed circle rather than being spread. In many speakers, the lips also protrude slightly forward. Do not press them tightly; they should round naturally.

The tongue body rises high in the mouth. The back of the tongue is lifted toward the soft palate area, but it does not touch the roof of the mouth. There must still be a narrow space for the sound to resonate through. The tongue tip is usually relaxed and sits low, away from the roof of the mouth, often resting behind the lower front teeth or hovering near them without tension.

Because this is a back vowel, the main bulk of the tongue is pulled toward the back half of the mouth, not toward the front. However, in General American speech, this sound is often produced a little more forward than a fully cardinal [u], but for teaching purposes, “high, rounded, back ‘oo’” is the clearest instruction.

The sound is voiced, so the vocal folds vibrate throughout. Air flows smoothly out through the mouth with no blockage, friction, or burst. This is not a consonant; nothing closes or stops the airflow. The sound should feel continuous and steady.

Length matters too. Since you wrote /uː/, treat it as a long vowel. Hold it slightly: “ooooo” but without adding a glide into /w/. A common mistake is turning it into something like “uw” with too much movement. Try to keep it stable and pure.

To summarize the articulation in technical terms:

• Jaw: mostly closed, slight opening
• Lips: rounded, often slightly protruded
• Tongue height: high / close
• Tongue position: back or back-central area
• Tongue tip: relaxed, low
• Velum: raised, so air does not escape through the nose
• Voicing: yes
• Airflow: smooth, unobstructed oral airflow

Common mistakes:

• spreading the lips too much, which can make it sound closer to /iː/
• opening the jaw too much, which weakens the close-vowel quality
• making it too short
• adding an offglide, so it sounds like “oo-w”
• pushing the tongue too far forward, which changes the vowel quality

A good physical cue is: “Round the lips, keep the jaw small, lift the back of the tongue, and let the voice flow.”

Dialectal Variations in Pronunciation and Usage

The English /uː/ sound is the long “oo” vowel, like in food, blue, and shoe. To make it, round your lips, keep the mouth mostly closed, and raise the back of the tongue high. The sound is voiced, so your throat should vibrate, and the airflow should stay smooth with no stopping or friction.

Considerations for Spanish Speakers

This is quite similar to the Spanish "u", but this is a bit more tense, and the lips are more rounded.