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The letter U has two long sounds. It can say /yoo/ (the name of the letter, as in cube, mule, huge) or it can say /oo/ (as in rule, blue, pool). Both sounds are common. A useful guideline: when a long U sound comes right after R or L, it always says /oo/. That is why rule, blue and flute say /oo/. But /oo/ also appears after many other consonants, as in pool, fruit and crew.

Long U Words

Long U says /yoo/ (cube, mule, huge)

cube mule fuse huge music cute tune use few cue

Long U says /oo/ (rule, blue, pool)

rule flute blue crew pool fruit clue rude true glue

Spelling Word List

15 Long U words: /yoo/ words (cube, mule, huge) and /oo/ words (rule, blue, pool).

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Two Sounds of Long U

Long U has two sounds: /yoo/ and /oo/
/yoo/
the letter name
cube, mule, fuse, huge
/oo/
as in moon
rule, blue, pool, fruit

Long U is the only vowel with two distinct sounds. It can say /yoo/ (the letter name, as in cube, mule, huge) or /oo/ (as in moon, heard in rule, pool, blue). Both sounds are very common. One reliable guideline from the song: after R or L, long U always says /oo/, never /yoo/. That is why rule, blue and flute say /oo/. But /oo/ is not limited to after R and L. It also appears after other consonants: pool, fruit, crew, rude. When you meet a new long U word, you may need to learn which sound it uses.

Lyrics

Long U Has Two Sounds: /oo/ and /yoo/

Are you ready to learn about the two different sounds of long U? I said oo and you. Let's learn the two different sounds of long U.

Chorus

I said oo and you.
Let's learn the two different sounds of long U.

Verse 1: Long U says /yoo/

Here's a list of words that we'll go through.
They all contain a long U that makes the sound /yoo/.
cube: c u b e
mule: m u l e
fuse: f u s e
huge: h u g e
music: m u s i c

Chorus

I said oo and you.
Let's learn the two different sounds of long U.

Verse 2: Long U says /oo/

Here's a list of words that we'll go through.
They all contain a long U that makes the sound /oo/.
rule: r oo l
flute: f l oo t
blue: b l oo
crew: c r oo
pool: p oo l
fruit: f r oo t

Chorus

I said oo and you.
Let's learn the two different sounds of long U.

The Rule

Here's a rule that's always true:
after R and L, long U says /oo/.

Chorus

I said oo and you.
Let's learn the two different sounds of long U.

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