How to Pronounce Words with "oo"

The letters "oo" can represent several different vowel sounds.  This letter combination is most commonly used for vowel /u/.  Next most common is vowel /ʊ/.  Below find a list of the most frequently used words with "oo."  Since the most frequent accent error pattern for these sounds is to use /u/ instead of /ʊ/, I recommend learning the words with /ʊ/.  Note that several of these words serve as suffixes in longer words (for example: hood - neighborhood, adulthood; wood - firewood, deadwood;  etc.).

/u/

room
soon
tool
choose
too
noon
tooth
school
cool
proof
boost
boot
smooth
bloom
broom
noodle
pool
mood

/ʊ/

cook
took
look
book
foot
good
wool
hook
wood
hood
brook
hoof
nook
soot
woof
hooray

/ʌ/

blood
flood

oɚ

door
floor

Use the recording and list below to test your listening - can you tell which vowel sound is in the word?  Consider writing the words with IPA symbols in place of "oo."  Check your work with the lists above.

cook
food
soon
boost
good
brook
blood
door

choose
floor
tooth
wood
tool
flood
boot
boost

hoof
nook
noodle
mood
wool
smooth
proof
hook

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