long oo

Core Rule

The long oo sound represents /uː/, a steady, sustained vowel. While commonly spelled oo (food, moon), the same sound can appear in other spellings such as ue, u-e, ew.

Articulation Guide

Raise the back of the tongue toward the soft palate, relax the tongue tip, and round the lips firmly. Airflow is smooth and continuous, with clear vowel length.

Word Analysis

• avenue: Final -ue is pronounced /njuː/; the vowel quality matches long /uː/.
• evacuate: The u in -cu- surfaces as /juː/, a contextual form of long /uː/.
• venue: Another ue → /uː/ pattern, reinforcing sound-based decoding.

Pitfall Alert

Not all oo spellings are long (book), and long /uː/ is not limited to oo alone.