Comparing /u/ and /yu/

Mastering the American Accent » Comparing /u/ and /yu/

Comparing /u/ and /yu/

Certain words that contain the letter u are sometimes pronounced differently in other English accents. For example, some British speakers often add an extra /y/ sound before the /u/. Students who studied British English in their native countries are often surprised to learn that Americans say “Tooz-day” (for Tuesday) instead of the British t+youz-day. Similarly, you may have learned to say “t+you+n” (for tune) rather than “toon” as Americans do.

Words for Practice

Here are some common words spelled with the letter u and pronounced as oo rather than as you.

attitude, costume, due, duty, gratitude, introduce, opportunity, produce, reduce, seduce, solitude, Stewart, stupid, student, studio, tube, Tuesday, tumor, tune, tutor

Practice Sentences

It’s your duty to produce it by Tuesday.
Those students like iTunes and YouTube.
May I introduce you to my tutor?
The producer is in the studio working on a new tune.
I assume that it’s due on Tuesday.
That’s a stupid attitude, Stewart.

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