The BOOK Vowel /ʊ/

One of the most common vowels in American English. Hear it in book, good, put, look.

IPA /ʊ/ Respell uu Category Vowel
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The /ʊ/ vowel, the book sound, is the short, relaxed back vowel American English uses for words like good, put, look, could. Unlike the tight, rounded /u/ in food, this sound calls for relaxed lips, a slight jaw drop, and a slight outward lip flare. The body of the tongue lifts toward the back of the roof of your mouth, but stays relaxed. Getting this right matters because tightening the lips is what makes pull sound exactly like pool.

How to make it

Three small adjustments.

Get them right and the sound takes care of itself.

Bring the corners of your lips in slightly so they push forward, but keep them relaxed. Lift the back of your tongue toward the roof of the mouth.

Mouth position for /ʊ/ in book

Mouth shape

/ʊ/ as in book

Jaw

Slight drop.

Tongue

The back lifts towards the back of the roof of the mouth. The front remains down but may be pulled slightly back, so it's not quite touching the bottom front teeth.

Lips

Corners come in slightly so the lips push forward, but stay relaxed.

Quick tips

One thing to remember.

Check your lips in the mirror. If they are puckered like you're blowing out a candle, you've gone too far. They should stay relaxed, just slightly pinched at the corners.

Easy to confuse

Compare with similar sounds.

If your sound is sliding into a neighbor, here's how to tell them apart.

/ʊ/ vs /u/

MOON Vowel

OO (/u/) has a tighter lip circle and more back-tongue lift. UU (/ʊ/) has a more relaxed lip flare rather than a tight circle.
Hear it in words

16 everyday words.

Tap any word for its full breakdown — every reduction, every flap-T.

book
BUUK
look
LUUK
took
TUUK
cook
KUUK
good
GUUD
put
PUUT
foot
FUUT
wood
WUUD
wool
WUUL
full
FUUL
pull
PUUL
push
PUUSH
stood
STUUD
shook
SHUUK
hood
HUUD
cookie
KUU·kee
Hear it in sentences

In real conversation.

5 short sentences where this sound shows up. Tap to play; click the title for the full breakdown.

The cook took a look at the good cookbook.

dhuh KUUK TUUK uh LUUK uht dhuh GUUD KUUK·buuk.

It would be good if you could cook the pudding.

iht wuud bee GUUD ihf yuh kuud KUUK dhuh PUU·duhng.

The bully pushed the bush into the brook.

dhuh BUU·lee PUUSHT dhuh BUUSH IHN·tuh dhuh BRUUK.

I couldn't put the book down, it was too good.

ahy KUU·duhnt PUUT dhuh BUUK DOWN iht wuhz TOO GUUD.

He shook his head and took the book back.

hee SHUUK hihz HEHD and TUUK dhuh BUUK BAK.
FAQ

Common questions about /ʊ/.

What's the easiest way to make the /ʊ/ vowel in American English?
Drop your jaw slightly and let the lips flare out a little instead of rounding tightly. Lift the back of the tongue toward the soft palate, but keep it relaxed, no tension. Most of the work is in what you avoid: don't pucker the lips like you're blowing out a candle (that gives you the /u/ in food) and don't tense the back of the tongue. A relaxed back position with neutral lips and a slight jaw drop is enough.
Why do I mix up words like "pull" and "pool" or "look" and "Luke"?
You're likely using the same tight, rounded vowel for both, a very common ESL habit. In pool /u/, the lips pucker tightly and the tongue tenses up. In pull /ʊ/, the lips just flare slightly and the tongue is much more relaxed. Many languages (Spanish, Italian) only have the tight /u/, so speakers automatically use it for both book and boot. Relaxing the lips and tongue tension is the fix.
Why does the "OO" spelling make different sounds in "book" and "food"?
English spelling is famously unreliable, and the OO combination is a clean example. In book, good, foot, look, the OO is the relaxed /ʊ/. In food, boot, moon, mood, the OO is the tight /u/. There's no rule that predicts which one a given word gets. You have to memorize the common /ʊ/ words.

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