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