Short U Sound: Speech Therapy Guide, Words & Games
The short U sound is written /ʌ/ in the phonetic alphabet, and most children master it by age 3. This guide covers how to make the short U sound, 28 practice words split across initial and medial position, and the errors children make most often.
Example Short U words: of, up, us, other (beginning); what, just, but, one (middle).
The short "uh" vowel in cup, bus, jump and love. The tongue sits in the middle of the mouth, low and relaxed, and the lips stay neutral. This is the stressed version of the sound; when the same vowel appears in an unstressed syllable it reduces to the schwa (see "Schwa").
How to Make the Short U Sound
This vowel needs no special tongue or lip shape, so it is usually easy — cue it as the most relaxed sound in the mouth. Watch for it being replaced by short A (cat vowel) in words like "cup".
IPA Symbol: /ʌ/
Most children master the short U sound by age 3. Vowels come in earlier than most consonants: children generally have their full vowel system before the late-developing consonants such as /R/, /S/ and /TH/. Vowel errors are far less common than consonant errors, so one that is still there in a school-age child is worth raising with a speech-language pathologist.
Common Short U Sound Errors
- Substituting the broad A sound (Broad A as in father) for the short U sound.
- Substituting the short A sound (Short A as in cat) for the short U sound.
Short U Word Lists by Position
Practice these words organized by where the short U sound appears. Start with the position your child finds easiest, or open the complete Short U word list.
Initial Short U Words
short U at the beginning of words
Medial Short U Words
short U in the middle of words
More Short U Word Lists & Resources
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