Sound contrast · Mexican Spanish; starter contrasts also occur widely elsewhere
Spanish /o/ vs /u//o/ versus /u/
Conditional priority: screen the mid/high distinction for learners whose L1 or observed errors warrant it. Do not infer difficulty from nationality or assign this lesson automatically to all learners.
Practice these sounds/o/
A close-mid, rounded vowel
A rounded vowel made toward the back of the mouth.
As incosa
/u/
A back, rounded vowel
The tongue is high and farther back, with rounded lips.
As insuma
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Conditional priority: screen the mid/high distinction for learners whose L1 or observed errors warrant it. Do not infer difficulty from nationality or assign this lesson automatically to all learners.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordcosa
/ˈkosa/thingsopa
/ˈsopa/soupcopa
/ˈkopa/drinking glassropa
/ˈropa/clothespolo
/ˈpolo/pole, such as a magnetic poletomo
/ˈtomo/volume of a bookmono
/ˈmono/monkeysuma
/ˈsuma/sumcuna
/ˈkuna/cradleluna
/ˈluna/moonruta
/ˈruta/routepuro
/ˈpuɾo/pure, masculine adjectivetubo
/ˈtubo/tubecubo
/ˈkubo/bucket14 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.