Diphthongs ie and uo
The Diphthongs Ie and Uo
Ie and uo are one sound each, a smooth glide in one syllable: pie-nas, duo-na, šuo.
How It Works
A diphthong is two vowel letters said together in a single syllable, with the tongue gliding from one position to the other.
Ie and uo are special. They glide so smoothly that they behave like one long vowel:
- ie: from "ee" toward "uh": pienas (milk), diena (day), vienas (one)
- uo: from "oo" toward "uh": duona (bread), šuo (dog), vanduo (water)
Do not break them into two syllables: pienas is pie-nas, not pi-e-nas.
The other common diphthongs are:
- ai, close to English eye: laikas (time), vaikas (child)
- au, close to ow in cow: draugas (friend), auga (grows)
- ei, close to ay in day: eiti (to go), reikia (it is needed)
- ui, close to "oo-ee" said fast: muilas (soap)
The order of the letters matters: ie starts on i, while ei starts on e. Compare diena (day) and eina (goes).
An i before a, o or u is usually not part of a diphthong at all. It is the softness marker, as in kiaulė or noriu. See i as a softness marker. In stressed diphthongs, dictionaries put the mark on the first or the second letter, depending on how the syllable is said. See stress marks.
Examples (6)
- Aš geriu pieną.
I'm drinking milk.
Word by Word: I drink milk.
Pie- is one syllable with the gliding ie.
- Ši duona labai skani.
This bread is very tasty.
Word by Word: This bread very tasty.
Duo- is one syllable with the gliding uo.
- Mūsų šuo yra rudas.
Our dog is brown.
Word by Word: Our dog is brown.
Šuo is a single syllable.
- Laikas eiti.
It's time to go.
Word by Word: Time to-go.
Laikas has ai, and eiti has ei.
- Kur yra muilas?
Where is the soap?
Word by Word: Where is soap?
Muilas has the diphthong ui.
- Mano draugas gyvena Kaune.
My friend lives in Kaunas.
Word by Word: My friend lives in-Kaunas.
Draugas and Kaune both have au.
Common Mistakes
Writing a plain o for uo.
Ši dona labai skani.Ši duona labai skani.Uo is its own gliding sound, not a plain o. Dona is not a word; bread is duona.
Swapping ei and ie.
Laikas ieti.Laikas eiti.Eiti (to go) starts with ei, which glides from e to i. Ie glides the other way, from i toward e.
How It Connects
Learn This First
These vowel pairs represent one syllable with a glide.
Related Patterns
- Softness Marker iI as a Softness Marker
Tell the gliding ie apart from an i that only marks softness.
Level 1 - Long y and ū
Compare ie and uo with the long vowels y and ū.
Level 1 - ė / eThe Letters Ė and E
Hear how the e in ie differs from ė.
Level 1 - Stress Marks in Dictionaries
See where dictionaries put the stress mark in a diphthong.
Level 1 - Falling and Rising Tones
Later, learn the two ways a stressed diphthong can be said.
Level 5
Practice Diphthongs ie and uo in Bubblegum
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