Lessons Unit 1, lesson 5

ʊ as in put

One short vowel, on its own page. It is quick and short — hear it alone, then find it inside each word below, then say the words yourself.

What do the marks mean?

ˈriːdread Stressed part — say it louder & longer.

təto Weak word — say it quickly & softly.

∅e Silent letter — don’t pronounce it.

θth Underline — these letters spell one sound.

wa·ter Dot · — a syllable break.

go‿on Linked — blend the words together.

?↗︎↘︎ Arrows — voice rises ↗︎ or falls ↘︎.

ˈsɛvən7 Number — how to say it aloud.

read² ² mark — has a second pronunciation.

guess? ? mark — a best guess; double-check it.

Want the full walkthrough? Read the map explains every mark, with practice.

ʊthe oo in put

Round your lips a little — just a little — and keep it short: put, book. It is not the long oo of pool; your lips barely pucker.

put

book

foot

look

Now say it yourself

Read each word from its sheet, out loud, three times. Where there's a play button, listen first and copy what you hear. Slow is fine — speaking clearly matters more than speaking fast. Tap a word's microphone to record yourself and see which sounds landed.

good

cook

wood

pull

push

full

Why this sound is hard

This is the short, lightly rounded cousin of the long uː in blue, and most learners overdo the lip rounding, turning put into something closer to pool. Round your lips only a little and keep the sound short and relaxed — the tongue stays lower and further back than for the long version.

Minimal pairs to check yourself

Say put against pool, and look against Luke. The short version should feel almost lazy, over before you've finished puckering your lips. Try full against fool the same way.

Where this spelling turns up

This vowel is spelled a few different ways, which is why it trips learners up: oo in book, foot, good, and wood; and plain u in put, push, pull, and full. There's no single reliable spelling — you have to learn it word by word, and check it against the long uː whenever you're unsure.