Short U
What is it?
Short ⟨u⟩ can variably represent either /ʊ/ or /ʌ/, as a result of the foot–strut split.
Originally, the short u represented one vowel. Later, in many dialects (especially Southern British English), that vowel split into two different vowels.
This historical change is called the FOOT–STRUT split.
| Pronunciation | Example Words | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| /ʊ/ (FOOT vowel) | put, pull, full, bull, bush, butcher, cushion, woman, wolf | A short, rounded vowel. Mainly found after the FOOT–STRUT split in words that retained the older /ʊ/ sound. |
| /ʌ/ (STRUT vowel) | cut, cup, sun, luck, mud, run, much, nut, duck, under | A short, central vowel. In Southern British English and most other dialects with the FOOT–STRUT split, many historical /ʊ/ vowels shifted to /ʌ/. |
The J sound
The initial /j/ ("y" sound) is optional in many words.
| Word | Conservative British (RP) | General American | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| tune | /tjuːn/ | /tuːn/ | /j/ ("y" sound) dropped in American English |
| tube | /tjuːb/ | /tuːb/ | Yod-dropping after /t/ |
| Tuesday | /ˈtjuːzdeɪ/ | /ˈtuːzdeɪ/ | Yod-dropping after /t/ |
| student | /ˈstjuːdənt/ | /ˈstuːdənt/ | Yod-dropping after /st/ |
| duke | /djuːk/ | /duːk/ | Yod-dropping after /d/ |
| duty | /ˈdjuːti/ | /ˈduːti/ | Yod-dropping after /d/ |
| new | /njuː/ | /nuː/ | Yod-dropping after /n/ |
| news | /njuːz/ | /nuːz/ | Yod-dropping after /n/ |
| nuisance | /ˈnjuːsəns/ | /ˈnuːsəns/ | Yod-dropping after /n/ |
| suit | /sjuːt/ (less common today) or /suːt/ | /suːt/ | Many modern British speakers also drop the /j/. |
| assume | /əˈsjuːm/ (traditional) or /əˈsuːm/ | /əˈsuːm/ | Variable even within British English. |
| rune | /rjuːn/ (traditional) or /ruːn/ | /ruːn/ | Yod often dropped in modern speech. |