CURE Diphthong / Centering Diphthong
The centering diphthong vowel sound heard in words like "cure", "sure", "poor", and "tour". Often called the CURE vowel. It starts with a high back rounded vowel /ʊ/ (like in 'put') and glides towards the central vowel /ə/ (schwa). Note: This diphthong is becoming rare in many English dialects.
Start with the tongue high and back, lips rounded for the /ʊ/ sound, jaw relatively closed. Then, glide the tongue towards the center and lower it slightly while unrounding the lips and relaxing the jaw for the /ə/ sound.
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Example Words
kjʊəʃʊəpʊətʊəpjʊəməˈtjʊəɪnˈdjʊəsɪˈkjʊəljʊəɪnˈʃʊəPronunciation Practice
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pʊəpɔːʃʊəʃɔːtʊətɔːTongue Twister
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