Full vs. Fool

English as a Second Language Listening, speaking, pronunciation and accent
1

Hi everyone,

Could I say that “full” and “fool” have the same pronunciation?

oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries … onary/full
oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries … onary/fool

Thanks.

2

I wouldn’t, and neither does the dictionary. Even the phonetic versions are different.

3

Alright, I give up. :slight_smile: It’s pretty difficult for me to pronounce “full” and “fool” in a different way, I must admit.

4

It’s the Italian in you. Typically, Italians would pronounce them both ‘fool’ unless they really worked at it.

5

Yes, I confirm. Wow! I see that you’re very experienced teacher. :wink:

6

There is answer I think => fool [fu:l] vs full [ful]

7

They are considered so called “minimal pairs”, pairs of words that differ in only one sound.
Other minimal pairs for this vowel combination include:

Pull - pool
Should - shooed
Nuke - nook

You have two challenges: learn to hear the difference between them (could be borderline impossible) and learn to pronounce them differently (not very difficult).

8

Hi OTS,

Hmm, you’re teasing me. :slight_smile: Anyway, alright, I’ll try to do what you suggested me.