The TOUR R-Vowel /ʊr/

One of the most common r-vowels in American English. Hear it in tour, cure, pure, sure.

IPA /ʊr/ Respell uur Category R-vowel
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The /ʊr/ R-vowel, the sound in tour, poor, and sure, is a tight, rounded blend of the short book vowel and the American R. You start with your lips flared and the back of your tongue lifted for the /ʊ/ sound, then immediately pull the tongue back to curl into the R. In casual American speech, this vowel is actually fading away. Many Americans now pronounce words like sure and poor with the or sound instead, making poor sound exactly like pour.

How to make it

Three small adjustments.

Get them right and the sound takes care of itself.

Start with the 'uu' position. Pull the tongue back and up while maintaining the lip flare.

Jaw

Moderate drop.

Tongue

Starts in the UU (/ʊ/) position: back lifts toward the back of the roof of the mouth, front pulled slightly back. Then transitions to R: middle lifts, front pulls back further.

Lips

Start with a lip flare for the UU vowel, then maintain or increase the flare for the R.

Quick tips

One thing to remember.

This is a blend of the UU (/ʊ/) vowel and the R consonant. The lip flare is maintained from the vowel into the R.

Hear it in words

16 everyday words.

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

tour
TUUR
poor
PUUR
sure
SHUUR
pure
PYUUR
cure
KYUUR
lure
LUUR
moor
MUUR
jury
JUUR·ee
fury
FYUUR·ee
rural
RUUR·uhl
during
DUUR·uhng
secure
suh·KYUUR
endure
uhn·DUUR
mature
muh·CHUUR
ensure
uhn·SHUUR
brochure
broh·SHUUR
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.

Take the tour.

TAYK dhuh TUUR.

Are you sure?

ar yoo SHUUR?

The water is pure.

dhuh WAH·der ihz PYUUR.

The cure for the allure is obscure.

dhuh KYUUR fer dhee uh·LUUR ihz uhb·SKYUUR.

I experienced a moment of pure happiness during the ceremony.

ahy uhk·SPEER·ee·uhnst uh MOH·muhnt uhv PYUUR HA·pee·nuhs DUUR·uhng dhuh SEH·ruh·moh·nee.
FAQ

Common questions about /ʊr/.

What's the best way to physically pronounce the /ʊr/ vowel?
Start by flaring your lips and lifting the back of your tongue, exactly like you're saying the vowel in book or look. Without dropping that lip flare, pull your tongue backward and either curl the tip up or bunch the middle up to glide into the American R. The trick is keeping the lips rounded through the entire sound. If you relax your lips too early, the word tour will end up sounding like ter.
Why do Americans pronounce "poor" and "pour" exactly the same?
In casual American English, the /ʊr/ vowel is slowly merging with /ɔr/. For millions of speakers, poor, tour, sure have lost their tight flared /ʊ/ quality and are pronounced with a standard /ɔr/ shape, so poor sounds identical to pour, sure identical to shore. The distinct /ʊr/ is still technically correct and widely understood, but the /ɔr/ replacement sounds perfectly natural in modern conversation.
How is the American /ʊr/ different from the British pronunciation?
Traditional British speakers typically drop the R entirely, turning words like tour and cure into a two-part gliding vowel that ends in a soft uh sound (TOO-uh, KYOO-uh), though many modern British speakers just use an 'aw' sound (TAW, KYAW). Americans keep the R strong and dominant. The tongue pulls back and curls into the R shape while the lips stay flared, blending the vowel and the consonant into one tight, continuous sound. If the final R goes missing, you're suddenly British.

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