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Guided practice · General American English

English Sound Laboratory

FOOT /ʊ/ versus GOOSE /uː/ vowel control

Contrast FOOT /ʊ/ with GOOSE /uː/ while keeping surrounding consonants stable.

PracticeGuided practiceRecord and listen at every stage
Practise with trustworthy examples. Reviewed audio is used where it is available. On other items, you can still record, listen back and retry. Pronunciation feedback appears only where this lab has a reviewed feedback check.

See · compare · keep GOOSE higher and tenser

Keep FOOT shorter and lower; let GOOSE stay close and rounded

Both vowels are rounded and back. FOOT /ʊ/ is shorter and slightly lower; GOOSE /uː/ is closer, usually longer, and more sustained. Keep the consonants stable while changing vowel height, duration and tongue position.

Near-close back rounded vowelFOOT /ʊ/
Schematic target articulation. It is not a measurement of the learner's mouth.
Place
—
Manner
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Tongue tip
—
Airflow
—
Voice
voiced
Close back rounded vowelGOOSE /uː/
Schematic target articulation. It is not a measurement of the learner's mouth.
Place
—
Manner
—
Tongue tip
—
Airflow
—
Voice
voiced
What you are hearing: these short clips come from the reviewed sentence at the end of this lab. Use them as context examples for the sound.