Introduction to Long Vowels > How to pronounce 'long u’ /yu/ > Common 'long u’ /yu/ spellings > Practice pronouncing 'long u’ /yu/
Common 'long u' /yu/ spellings
1. u_e (vowel-consonant-e)*
When the letter 'u' is followed by a single consonant and then the letter 'e,' the letter 'e' is usually pronounced as /yu/.
a. cute /kyut/
b. cube /kyub/
c. huge /hyuʤ/
2. ue*
a. fuel /fyul/
b. hue /hyu/
c. rescue /rɛskyu/
3. ew*
a. few /fyu/
b. pew /pyu/
c. skew /skyu/
* All three of these spellings can also be used to spell the 'oo sound' /u/. Examples: "rude," "clue," and "chew"
* The 'long u' /yu/ pronunciation is more likely if the sound before the spelling is /m/, /k/, /f/, /b/, /v/, or /h/.
'long u' non-phonetic words
Non-phonetic words are not pronounced according to their spelling. Their pronunciations should be memorized.
1. usual
2. university
3. beautiful
4. music
5. future
6. human