U (letter)
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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 (Lawrence is more common) |
| Laurie name | lórry vehicle |
| Maurice (BrE) given 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.