Lax Short U

Mastering the Lax Short U sound makes your English sound much more natural and fluid. It's a subtle sound that's key to many common words.

How to make it

/ʊ/
near-close near-back
Lips: rounded
Tongue: high-back
Voicing: voiced
💡 Slight lip rounding, tongue high-back but relaxed.

1. Keep your lips relaxed and slightly open.
2. Your jaw should be slightly open, not dropped.
3. Drop the very back of your tongue to widen your throat, without moving the front of your tongue or your lips.

Watch out for

• Tensing your lips: This can make the sound too rounded, like the 'oo' in "moon". Keep your lips soft and neutral.
• Raising the front of your tongue: This might lead to a sound closer to the 'uh' in "cup". Focus on dropping the back of your tongue.
• Dropping your jaw too much: This can make the vowel too open. Maintain a relaxed, slightly open jaw position.

Words to try

• cook
• pull
• wood
• should
• foot
• good
• put
• look

💡 This unique tongue movement is similar to what you do when you yawn or swallow quickly. Try to feel that sensation!