A succinct word with ue will be the topic of my discussion today. The phrases “unique,” “avenue,” and “rescue” come to mind. You might not have realized it, but the -ue ending was pronounced differently in each of those words. The -ue was silent in the word unique. Similar to the word soon, the short ue word avenue was pronounced with the oo sound. The -ue ending in the word rescue was pronounced with a long u sound, just like in the word cute.
Unique, avenue, and rescue were once more used. As a result, there are three words and three distinct pronunciations. Is there a pattern here? In a way, yes.
Let’s first examine the silent -ue pattern. It doesn’t appear in the sentences that follow the word “unique” either.
Find the pattern, if you can:
antique
technique
boutique
grotesque
fatigue
colleague
vogue
League
Why are those words related to one another? You’re right if you noticed that they are all prefixed with either -que or -gue. This pattern also functions quite well. Only one very popular word with the spelling -gue contains a vowel sound at the end of the word. The argument is the word. What sound does “argue” make as a final consonant? The long u sound is what it is called.
Let’s use the word “argue” to introduce other words that end in -ue and have a long “u” sound. In case you forgot, the long u has an additional oo sound to it in addition to the y sound. When you combine those, you get (long u).
Aside from “argue,” the following words also end in “-ue” and have a long u sound:
undefined
continue
rescue
value
Venue
That concludes the pronunciation of two of the three -ue endings. After a brief pause, a long u followed. Do you recall the third pattern? Oo is used as the third pattern. Although it lacks the initial y sound, the oo sound is very similar to the long u sound. The pronunciation of the oo sound is (oo sound).
The following words with a final -ue are those that in American English are said with the oo sound. Keep an ear out:
avenue
pursue
revenue
issue
statue
tissue
Virtue
Unfortunately, there isn’t a reliable pattern that can be used to identify which words are pronounced with the long u sound and which are pronounced with the oo sound. Because of this, it might be best for you to learn how to pronounce words by heart.
Let’s take a quick listening test to see how well you can distinguish between the (long u) sound in rescue and the (oo sound) in the issue. You must determine whether a word is said with a long u or an oo sound after I say it. Ready?
(Pronounced with a long u: value)
- The word “venue” (also spelled with a long u)
- revenue (pronounced: revenue with an oo sound. Play these words to hear the distinction between venue and revenue: venue, revenue.
- Pronounce virtue as virtue, with an oo sound)
- continue (long u pronunciation: continue)
What’d you think? Hopefully, it wasn’t too difficult. Ready for some practice with listening and repeat? I’ll say something, and then I’ll give you a moment to say it back to me. I’ll begin by stating the words that have a silent -ue:
unique
antique
technique
grotesque
fatigue
colleague
vogue
League
The following words now have a long u sound:
barbecue
continue
rescue
value
Venue
Lastly, here are some words that end in the sound “oo”:
avenue
issue
pursue
revenue
statue
tissue
Virtue
List of UE Phonics Words
Here are some words with the suffix “ue” in them.
Glue
Due
Cue
Rue
Sue
Blue
True
Queue
Rescue
Virtue
Avenue
Barbecue
Hue
Argue
Issue
Pursue
Revue
Subdue
Tissue
Continue
Discontinue
Statue
Clue
Undue
Venue
Vague
Rogue
Untrue
Plague
Dengue
Morgue
Cheque
Torque
Fondue
Bisque
Tongue
Mosque
League
Unique
Opaque
Revenue
Overdue
Fatigue
Residue
Macaque
Dialogue
Intrigue
Picturesque
Colleague
Technique
Use of UE Words in Sentences
Following are some UE Phonics List words and sentences.
Glue
Please hand me the glue that is stored under the table.
Due
Since her rent was due, I lent her some money.
Cue
As if on cue, the phone started to ring.
Sue
I threatened to legally sue a person as he dashed past my car.
Blue
I told him I would sue him after he hit my blue car.
True
It is true that we must put in a lot of effort if we are to succeed.
Queue
Oliver had spent a long two hours in a queue, which had left him exhausted.
Rescue
They rescued my little dog, for which I am incredibly grateful.
Virtue
There is a proverb that goes, “Knowledge is a virtue.”
Avenue
In Pasadena, California, at 42/B Redwood Avenue, I formerly called home.
Barbecue
My friends visited me yesterday, and we had a barbecue night.
Hue
Hue is simply the term for the entire color spectrum.
Argue
Because I tried to argue with my dad, he reprimanded me.
Issue
Please allow me to handle this; it’s not a big issue.
Pursue
What I believe is that the spice of life lies in pursuing our passions.
Revue
I believe that pursuing our passions gives life more variety. Even though it sounds impossible, this award-winning revue was written quickly.
Subdue
Yesterday, a thief broke into my house and attempted to take me down, but I was able to subdue him.
Tissue
Pass me the box of tissues that is kept under the desk, please.
Continue,
Whatever happens, I’ll always keep continue to achieve my goals.
Discontinue
I was forced to discontinue coaching football because of financial issues.
Statue
One of the most well-known sculptures in the world is the Statue of Liberty.
Clue
She had no clue what was happening in her immediate surroundings.
Undue
The teacher was teaching math, and the students paid him undue attention.
Venue
I find it difficult to choose a venue even though there are many options.
Vague
In the interview, the applicant gave very vague answers.
Rogue
In order to capture some underworld criminals, Katie went rogue.
Untrue
Mr. Marcus is no longer, though I hope this was untrue.
Plague
In the 14th century, the bubonic plague had a significant impact on the entire world.
Dengue
A lot of people pass away from the extremely deadly disease dengue every year.
Morgue
Weak-hearted people shouldn’t be permitted to enter the morgue because it is such a terrifying place.
Cheque
My entire family was joyful when I got my first $5,000 cheque.
Torque
The torque frequently causes issues with the motor.
Fondue
I took my kids to the most well-known fondue restaurant in the city last week.
Bisque
We had the chance to sample the finest bisque in the entire world while we were in France.
Tongue
Contrary to popular belief, your tongue is not your body’s strongest muscle.
Mosque
My grandfather and I used to visit the mosque on the weekends.
League
In India, the Indian Premier League is the most prestigious sporting event.
Unique
Everybody is unique in their own particular way.
