U (letter)

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Revision as of 16:56, 6 March 2008 by imported>Ro Thorpe (→‎Irregular u’s)
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U is the 21st letter of the English alphabet. Its name is pronounced like the words you and ewe.

Use in English

Examples (the accents show stress and pronunciation: see English phonemes):

Irregular u’s

Spelling Pronunciation
au pãir *ô pãir
au pãir *ô pãir
Austria *Óstria
because *bicóz
bûreau *byûrô
bureaucracy *byurócracy
bury earth bérry fruit
business *bízniss
busy *bízzy
faux-pàs *fô-pà
gauche *gôsh
laureate *lóriət
laurel *lórrəl




Laurence *Lórrənce (more often spelt Lawrence) Laurie name lórry vehicle Maurice (BrE) first name Mórris surname mauve *môav (move is pronounced *moôve) pláteau *plátô tábleau *táblô

Also, in some BrE, u is pronounced f in lieuténant (*lefténant) - though in AmE and other BrE, it is a regular û.

See also