ew sound

Core Rule

The spelling ew is multi-valued in English. It most often represents /uː/ or /juː/, but in a small set of words it signals /oʊ/. The outcome depends on the preceding consonant and historical spelling.

Articulation Guide

For /uː/, raise the back of the tongue and round the lips with steady airflow. For /juː/, add a brief palatal glide /j/ before /uː. For /oʊ/, glide from a mid-back vowel to a more rounded back position.

Word Analysis

sew is pronounced /soʊ/, not /suː/. new is /njuː/ in many accents, often /nuː/ in American English. few keeps the /fjuː/ sequence.

Pitfalls

Do not assume ew always equals /uː/. Watch minimal pairs and spelling contrasts like sew/so and homophones such as new/knew.