The Letter u

Level 1

The oo sound is written o. The letter u is a different sound.

How It Works

Do not read u as oo, as in Spanish or Italian. Occitan writes the oo sound with o, as in bonjorn.

SpellingSounds likeExamples
uee with rounded lips, as in French “lune” or German “über”luna (moon), tu (you), mur (wall), dur (hard)
u after a vowel (au, eu, iu)a quick wpauc (little), aucèl (bird)

To make the sound, start with ee and keep your tongue where it is. Then round your lips as if you were going to make an oo.

The u in qu and gu before e or i is not read: qué, guitarra.

Examples (5)

  1. luna

    moon

    The u is ee with rounded lips.

  2. tu

    you

    The u is ee with rounded lips.

  3. mur

    wall

    The u is ee with rounded lips.

  4. dur

    hard

    The u is ee with rounded lips.

  5. pauc

    little

    After a vowel, the u is a quick w.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing u for the oo sound.

    bunjorn
    bonjorn

    The oo sound is written o in Occitan.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

The Letter uLevel 1

Learn This First

The letter u has its own sound, so the alphabet and its vowels come first.