Pronunciation with the letter J

[Ingles_4u]

Hello Teacher,

Please help.

Why does the letter "u" in "jumpy" sound like an "a", yet in the word "jury" the "u" sounds as it should do, with a "u"

Other examples are:
just, junk, jumble, jumper, judge... all sounding like an "a"
judo, judas, juice, juror, juvenile... all sounding like an "u" (as it should)

How does one know when to use the "a" or the "u" sounding?
Is it just a case of memorising and learning them of by heart?

Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks
Carlos (Spanish student)

[marciobarbalho]

Pronunciation is a matter of practice, so is the whole I-wanna-speak-English thing, then, dear felas, go with the flow, imitate the ones who speak English effortlessly, hear to native speakers, and stop worrying or wondering whether it should be an "an" or "u", just do it.

I am not a teacher.

[susiedqq]

Some of those words are subject to their foreign adaptation; some are affected by several surrounding letters. There are no "rules" for you to learn.


Don't see these words as stand alone, individual units.

Practice using them in sentences.

Your ear needs to hear them often.

[Raymott]

Originally Posted by Ingles_4u

Hello Teacher,

Please help.

Why does the letter "u" in "jumpy" sound like an "a", yet in the word "jury" the "u" sounds as it should do, with a "u"

Other examples are:
just, junk, jumble, jumper, judge... all sounding like an "a"
judo, judas, juice, juror, juvenile... all sounding like an "u" (as it should)

How does one know when to use the "a" or the "u" sounding?
Is it just a case of memorising and learning them of by heart?

Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks
Carlos (Spanish student)

There's nothing special about J. This happens with all letters.