Lips
Mouth moderately open, lips completely relaxed and neutral. Not spread, not rounded. The laziest lip shape you can make.
Short vowels
/ʌ/as in cup
The vowel in "cup". A short, relaxed "uh" from the center of the mouth.
Example words: strut, cup, love, sun, money
Accent
Mouth
How do you pronounce the /ʌ/ sound?
Tongue
Tongue sits mid-central and slightly low, completely relaxed. It shouldn't push forward, back, or up. Just let it rest.
Length
Short. A quick, punchy "uh". Unlike the long central vowel in "nurse", this one is over almost as soon as it starts.
Video lesson
Try it
- Let your whole mouth go slack, as if sighing.
- Make a short grunt from the center of your mouth: "uh".
- Check in a mirror that your lips didn't round.
- Try: strut, cup, love.
Check
Record "love" and "cup". Both vowels should sound identical despite the different spellings. If "love" comes out with a rounded "o" quality, say it again with your lips frozen in neutral.
Common trap
Spelling is the trap here. "Love", "come", "money", and "does" all use this "uh" sound even though they're spelled with o. Don't round your lips into an "o" or "oo" just because the letter says so. If your lips move forward, you've lost it.
Practice: /ʌ/
Words
strutstɹˈʌt
cupkˈʌp
lovelˈʌv
sunsˈʌn
moneymˈʌni
Sentences
My mother loves a cup of coffee.mˌaɪ mˈʌðəɹ lˈʌvz ɐ kˈʌp ʌv kˈɔfi.
The sun comes up every summer morning.ðə sˈʌn kˈʌmz ˌʌp ˈɛvəɹi sˈʌməɹ mˈɔɹnɪŋ.
My brother won some money last month.mˌaɪ bɹˈʌðəɹ wˈʌn sˌʌm mˈʌni lˈæst mˈʌnθ.
We had so much fun on Sunday!wˌi hæd sˌoʊ mˈʌtʃ fˈʌn ˌɔn sˈʌndˌeɪ!
Her young son loves funny jokes.hˌɜɹ jˈʌŋ sˈʌn lˈʌvz fˈʌni dʒˈoʊks.
Words
strutstɹˈʌt
cupkˈʌp
lovelˈʌv
sunsˈʌn
moneymˈʌni
Sentences
My mother loves a cup of coffee.mˌaɪ mˈʌðə lˈʌvz ɐ kˈʌp ɒv kˈɒfi.
The sun comes up every summer morning.ðə sˈʌn kˈʌmz ˌʌp ˈɛvəɹi sˈʌmə mˈɔːnɪŋ.
My brother won some money last month.mˌaɪ bɹˈʌðə wˈʌn sˌʌm mˈʌni lˈɑːst mˈʌnθ.
We had so much fun on Sunday!wˌiː had sˌəʊ mˈʌtʃ fˈʌn ˌɒn sˈʌndeɪ!
Her young son loves funny jokes.hˌɜː jˈʌŋ sˈʌn lˈʌvz fˈʌni dʒˈəʊks.
🔊 plays the app's native voice. 🎤 records you so you can play it back next to it. Your recording stays in your browser.
Sounds in the same group
Is /ʌ/ one of yours?
Accenty listens to you speak and shows the sounds you miss, in American or British English.
