How to Pronounce AH vs UH: American English

In this American English pronunciation video, we're going to talk about the difference between

the vowels AH and UH.

First, let's take a look at some photos comparing the mouth positions. Here we have the AH and

UH vowels in profile. You can see for the AH vowel that the jaw might drop a little

bit more. Also, the tongue position has a little bit of tension in it. That's because

the tongue is flattened a little bit. In the UH vowel, the tongue is completely relaxed.

Now you'll see the mouth from the front, alternating between the AH and the UH sounds. Watch the

subtle change in jaw drop. And see if you can notice the subtle change in tongue position

as well.

AH, UH [3x].

So, for the AH sound, the jaw will drop a little bit more, and the tongue will push

down a little bit in the back. But these differences are subtle. The placement of the voice also

comes into play. Check out the video I made introducing the concept of placement. For

the AH vowel, AH, the sound is more here, AH. For the UH vowel, UH, it's more here.

The differences are subtle. It's tough. Here are some minimal pairs.

Fond, fund. Shot, shut. Lock, luck. Robber, rubber. Stock, stuck. Cop, cup.

That's it, and thanks so much for using Rachel's English.

Don't stop there. Have fun with my real-life English videos. Or get more comfortable with

the IPA in this play list. Learn about the online courses I offer, or check out my latest

video.