Why does U sound like W in words like “penguin”?

Asked by Last Modified  

4 Answers

Follow 0
Answer

Please enter your answer

E-Tutor for Spoken English, French and Communication

That's because, usually, when "ui" comes together in a word, then it's pronounced as "wi". For example, "Quilt" is pronounced "Qwilt"; "Quill" is pronounced "Qwill", and so on. (There are exceptions to the rule, of course. But this is generally the case.)
Comments

Online and One on One Personality Development/Soft Skills/ Spoken English/ IELTS Trainer (9 yrs Exp)

U doesn't sound like W it's just the natural transition the lips make going from the /u?/ sound to the /?/ sound.Try it yourself: say "goo-in" making sure not to deliberately say "gwin". It's there anyway.
Comments

Learning Made Easy

Veena is right when "ui" comes together in a word, then it's pronounced as "wi"
Comments

Master Coach

Actually the pronunciation of 'gui" in penguin, languid and sanguine sounds somewhat like w due to the transition of the vowel sounds, but if you say pengwin and penguin you will realize the difference. So try not to consciously pronounce it as pengwin.
Comments

View 2 more Answers

Related Questions

Which is India's best spoken English institute?
British Council is the best
Profile Photo
Abhishek
0 0
View Comments5
What is the best way to compensate for poor spoken English?
Read books, start from most common and easy to comprehend novels and then move on to different type of novels which has good vocabs. Watch english news or read english newspaper like "THE HINDU"
Profile Photo
Aarti
0 0
View Comments6
What is the proper duration to learn spoken English?
Hello Madhu, the duration is different from learner to learner. But usually, students after understanding grammar and syntax, can get a basic level of proficiency in English within 6 weeks to 3 months.
Profile Photo
Madhu
0 0
View Comments7
I want to learn American Accent, how do I start about it?
Be with the person who has American accent.
Profile Photo
Mahesh

Now ask question in any of the 1000+ Categories, and get Answers from Tutors and Trainers on UrbanPro.com

Ask a Question

Related Lessons

Read, listen, speak, write....
Read the newspaper everyday, listen to Indian English news channels, speak with people who are conversant in English whenever you get the opportunity. Familiarity and practice would help in your confidence building and betterment
Profile Photo

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE
FUTURE PERFECT TENSE I will have written articles on different topics before you come. Robert will have read various kinds of books. They will have played football in that field before you reach. April...
Profile Photo

Basics Of General English
Reading, writing and Arithmetic constitute the,"Three 'R's", in English Language. One has to be familiar with the basics of Grammar in order to be understood in the right way. You can not say." I go to...
Profile Photo

Spoken English Basics - Practice - 'What had?'
What had? Practice saying the sentences below out loud to get a feel for how to use “What had?” when asking a question. Question 1. What had she got? 2. What had he given? 3. What had...
Profile Photo

Pesky Homophones: Too, To And Two
The three words too, to and two sound exactly alike but have three distinct usages! They are classic examples of what we refer to as homophones words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings...
I

Iffat A.

0 0
View Comments0

Recommended Articles

When globalization was out of picture, it was enough to know just the mother tongue. Since globalization and out-sourcing have become part of life, there is a nagging need to learn new languages. Foreign languages help us to communicate with potential clients, sell our ideas and bond with their culture. It could be opening...

Read full article >

If you think English is enough to communicate with anybody in this world, you are sadly misinformed. Statistically the highest spoken foreign language in the world is Chinese with 20.7%, followed by English at 6.2%. That means that 93.8% of people do not speak English. This makes it necessary to learn another foreign language...

Read full article >

Learning any second language could be a little bit tricky. However, to learn a language, one needs to write, read, understand and speak it appropriately. Therefore, many students and professionals find it helpful in learning a foreign language from a reputable and reliable source. A second language helps them to increase...

Read full article >

Due to globalization of the Indian economy, the demand for learning foreign languages is on the rise. ITES (Information Technology Enabled Service) and Outsourcing have brought a lot of job opportunities paving the way for the learning foreign languages. German is the native language of more than 100 million people in...

Read full article >

Looking for Spoken English classes?

Learn from the Best Tutors on UrbanPro

Are you a Tutor or Training Institute?

Join UrbanPro Today to find students near you