yoo/ju/
Start with the tongue mid-front raised high, almost touching the roof of the mouth (but not touching). Glide into a tight lip circle as the tongue back lifts.
How to pronounce uv in American English
yoo·VEE
Start here
Americans pronounce uv as yoo-VEE (/ˌjuˈvi/). Stress falls on the second syllable — keep everything else short and quick. You'll hear it in sentences like "I check the UV index before spending time at the beach".
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Every sound in "uv".
2 syllables, 3 sounds. Tap a syllable to jump to its row, then explore each sound's mouth shape and how it's made.
v/v/
Lift your bottom lip so its inner edge (where the wet part meets the dry part) touches the very bottom of your top front teeth. Add vocal cord vibration as you blow air through.
ee/i/
Pull the corners of your lips back slightly. Arch the middle-front of your tongue high toward the roof of the mouth.
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Watch out
Common pronunciation mistakes in American English.
The textbook way isn't wrong — it's just not how anyone actually says it.
01
Stressing the wrong syllable.
Stress falls on the second syllable, not the others. Stretch VEE — keep everything else short and quick.
YOO·vee→YOO·VEE
Questions
Questions people ask about this.
How is "uv" stressed in American English?
Stress falls on the second syllable — say "VEE" with a longer, fuller vowel and keep every other syllable short and quick. The respell "yoo-VEE" marks the stressed syllable in capitals so the rhythm is easy to read at a glance.
Is the American pronunciation of "uv" different from British English?
American English uses different vowel shapes, a relaxed retroflex R, and connected-speech tricks like flap-T and glottal-stop T that British Received Pronunciation generally avoids. The respell "yoo-VEE" reflects the casual American form; British dictionaries typically print a citation form with crisper consonants and different vowel choices.
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