/ʊə/ — the /ʊə/ sound
the /ʊə/ sound
Vowels · Gliding vowels
This sound hasn't been scored yet.
How to make it
Start at /ʊ/ and relax back to /ə/.
Watch a native speaker say it
See the mouth and tongue before you record — hearing a sound rarely tells you where the tongue goes.
BBC Learning English · 👄 Diphthong - /ʊə/ - 'tour’, ‘pure' and 'cure' - English Pronunciation Tips Watch on YouTube
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Words with this sound
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plural
/ˈplʊəɹəl/
flowerpot
/flˈaʊəpˌɒt/
puree
/ˈpjʊəɹeɪ/
durable
/ˈdjʊərəbl/
lure
/lʊə/
moor
/mʊə/
furious
/ˈfjʊəɹiəs/
immature
/ɪməˈtjʊə(ɹ)/
boorish
/ˈbʊəɹɪʃ/
immure
/ɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/
euro
/jˈʊəɹəʊ/
Minimal pairs
Two words that differ by exactly one sound. Listen until you can tell them apart, then say them yourself.
- ʊə
lure
/lʊə/
ɔːlaw
/lɔː/
- ʊə
moor
/mʊə/
iːme
/mi/
- ʊə
moor
/mʊə/
uːmoo
/muː/
- ʊə
lure
/lʊə/
eɪlay
/leɪ/
- ʊə
lure
/lʊə/
aɪlie
/laɪ/
- ʊə
lure
/lʊə/
oʊlow
/loʊ/
- ʊə
moor
/mʊə/
aɪmy
/maɪ/
- ʊə
moor
/mʊə/
oʊmow
/ˈmoʊ/
Test yourself on this sound
Read these 8 words in one recording. The AI scores every sound and tells you whether your /ʊə/ came out right.