British STRUT Vowel: Practise Cup and Love
/ʌ/as in love
Practise the short RP vowel in cup, love and money.
This exercise uses the RP vowel in cup and love. Some northern English accents use a different vowel pattern; that does not make them less British.
Listen once, repeat the word, then use it in a sentence. Practise the open strut.
Compare
cuhp (backed)
Practice target
cup (open)
What to listen for
Listen to the stressed vowel in love and compare it with your recording.
How to practise
Drop the jaw and keep the vowel short and central. Relax the lips.
A short practice session
- Listen to love, then repeat it with relaxed lips.
- Try cup and money. Keep the stressed vowel short.
- Put love into a short sentence without making the vowel longer for emphasis.
Try it in a sentence
I would love another cup.
Compare the vowel rather than the spelling. Blood and love do not use the vowel you might expect from their letters.
Read a line for a free accent assessment, or follow the British accent learning guide.
Practise words
Hear how you do on love.
BritSpeech scores open strut on your own voice, on your phone, in seconds, then offers exercises to practise it.