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

Please teach how to speak english without any grammar mistake
It's possible. Contact me. I'll help u
Saranya
Which are the best spoken English classes?
Dear students Spoken English cannot be acquired in one night You should practice every day in morning and evening in fact day to day working life So that it give new words and phrases sentence to understand...
Sandeep
0 0
5
What is the difference between spoken English class and IELTS Class?
It's vry easy. A spoken English class focuses on developing conversational skills and fluency in everyday verbal communication, emphasizing pronunciation, vocabulary usage, and practical speaking practice....
Kiran
What is the most complex part of English grammar?
Simple, compound and complex ie: transformation sentence
Rakesh
0 0
8

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

Ask a Question

Related Lessons

Spoken English
Hello everyone, So, now we will discuss' How to say English confidently.' We all want to speak English, but because of a lack of confidence, we are unable to say. We all know English a little bit from...
A

Spoken English Basics - Possessive Case
The Possessive Case The possessive (or genitive) is the case which denotes the owner or possessor Rules for Forming the Possessive Case of nouns is formed by adding an apostrophe and s ('s's) the singular...

How to Improve Your Spoken English?
1. You will not learn English by only learning Grammar:If you wish to learn speaking English faster, you need to quit learning only Grammar. Grammar is not necessary to speak English. English Grammar only...
S

Sudip Roy

0 0
0

VOCABULARY for ielts preparation
Word of the Day Adulation ædʒəleɪʃən Hindi: ऐजलेस्हन / ऐजलैशनnoun मनुहार, चापलूसी(f), खुशामद(f), चाटुकारी, चाटूक्ति, ठकुर-सुहाती, अतिप्रशंसा, चिकनी चुपड़ी बातें . servile flattery; exaggerated...

Spoken English Basics - Adverb
An adverb is a word used to qualify or add something to the meaning of a verb, an adjective and even another adverb conveying location, manner, time, or degree. An adverb shows how an action is done and...

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