This is the “Sounds American” channel.

In this video we’re going to talk about the American vowel sound /ʌ/,

as in the word “us”.

You can also hear this sound in words like

“but,”

“come,”

“young,”

or “flood”.

Please, note that we’ll be using a special phonetic symbol - /ʌ/ - for this sound.

The vowel /ʌ/ exists in only 5% of the world’s languages.

It’s no wonder that non-native English speakers often distort it or replace it with more familiar sounds.

This video will help get you acquainted with the /ʌ/ and help you make it the right way.

Let’s find out how to make this sound.

OK.

To make the /ʌ/ sound, you should focus on the correct position of your lips and tongue.

Open your mouth a little, relax your lips, and put them in a neutral position.

Place your tongue in the middle of your mouth, not too high or too low.

Note that the /ʌ/ vowel sound is used in stressed syllables, but your lips and tongue should not be tense.

Your tongue should be in the center of your mouth.

Let’s try saying it:

/ʌ/

/ʌ/

/ʌ/

Now, let’s practice this sound in some words.

You’ll see a word on a screen and hear its pronunciation.

Like this:

You’ll have a few seconds to pronounce the word, if you want to.

[sound prompt to start speaking]

Let’s begin!

You’re done!

Congratulations!

By the way, the letter "u" stands for the /ʌ/ sound in 78% of cases.

More on the spelling:

Most often, the /ʌ/ sound is written as the letter “u,” as in the word “but,”

then as the letter “o,” as in the word “come.”

Less often it’s represented by the combination of the letters “ou,” as in the word “young,”

and “oo,” as in the word “flood.”

Thanks for watching!

Hope you find it useful.

Stay tuned on our Sounds American channel!