Difference in pronunciation: "cookie" and "kooky"

Question

Is there any audible difference between this two words? Google Translate provides very similar transcriptions for them:

cookie - ˈko͝okē
kooky - ˈko͞okē

Minimal difference in English. In IPA: /'kʊ ki:/,/'ku: ki:/, or the vowel of 'book','look','hook,'rook' and respectively that of 'loop', 'choose', 'tube'. — Mitch, Jul 2, 2018 at 19:34
Frankly, mispronunciation of those can signal non-native speaker to a native speaker (in AmE). — Lambie, Jul 2, 2018 at 19:37

agc · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-02 19:34:50Z

6

Yes. Cook rhymes with book, and kook rhymes with Duke.

answered Jul 2, 2018 at 19:34

agc

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1

kook does not rhyme with Duke, more like with souk. The word pewk ryhmes with Duke.
– Weather Vane
Jul 2, 2018 at 20:32
@WeatherVane: most speakers hear the "u" sound as a rhyme for "oo": the difference is just that "u" has a /j/ glide at the start. So "you" and "u" are homophones, for example.
– herisson
Jul 2, 2018 at 21:10
2

I think "spook" is a better rhyme for it.
– Misha R
Jul 2, 2018 at 21:22
1

@MishaR, Vic Mizzy would probably have agreed with you.
– agc
Jul 2, 2018 at 22:39
@WeatherVane, American vernacular pronunciation of Duke is different than English. In England Duke rhymes with rebuke, in the US it usually sounds like Gene Chandler's 1962 hit Duke of Earl.
– agc
Jul 3, 2018 at 4:58

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Jackie Rhoads · Accepted Answer · 2018-07-03 00:03:04Z

2

The 'oo' in cookie sounds the same as the 'oo' in book, while the 'oo' in kooky sounds the same as the 'oo' in loony.

answered Jul 3, 2018 at 0:03

Jackie Rhoads

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