English pronunciation · Words Starting with O

Ou Pronunciation

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Updated 2026-10-08

Ou is pronounced OO, IPA /ˈu/.

OO

US /ˈu/

Syllables: OO (1 syllable)

letter combination: A two-letter spelling rather than an ordinary English word, read as oo in soup, as ow in out, and as a short uh in tough.

Audio for the American and British pronunciations plays on this page with JavaScript enabled.

Ou in a Sentence

Soup and group both give the ou a plain oo.
In out and loud the same ou turns into an ow.
Tough and rough reduce the ou to a short uh.

More words starting with o · Every word in the pronunciation guide

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