Is union a long U sound?

Answer 1

The sound of a long vowel is usually the same as the name of the letter.

However, the long U as seen in chute and Flute is the OO sound, not the YOO sound. So most sources consider the long OO and long YOO the same long vowel sound, with or without the consonant y-glide.

Long OO words : cool, moon, dune, suit, due (also do and dew), stew, lieu, deuce

Long OO (YOO) words : cute, fuel, uniform, beauty

(Short OO words : good, foot, soot, put, could)

Answer 2

These words have the YOO sound of the long U:

universe

united

unit

unicorn

union

calculate

cue

cute

mute

puny

Other words have a long OO sound:

boot

crude

rule

suit

tool

*The terms "long" and "short" do not properly apply to English vowels. The so-called "long" U is pronounced /ju/, as in union, communist, or retinue. But the vowel in room is a truly long U sound without the y-glide.

Answer 3

Yes. The long OO in "shoot" is the same sound as in "chute."

While the other long vowels "say their names" (ay, ee, eye, oh), the name of the U includes a Y-consonant sound, not a vowel. The long U (long OO) can be considered to include those words that sound like YOO.

These include words like uniform and unique, but also words such as cure, cute, mute, mule, fuel, feud, and view, that only create a Y sound.

Answer 4

No. It is a short OO sound to rhyme with bush. This sound is seen in foot.

Answer 5

Yes. The U has a long U sound (YOO-yuhn).