Cup is a short, open-front rounded vowel-consonant blend used as a common container; in English it functions as a noun referring to a small drinking vessel or a cup-shaped object. The word is typically monosyllabic and stressed, with a quick, clipped vowel and a concise final consonant. It appears in many collocations (cup of tea, ice-cup, paper cup) and idiomatic phrases (cup runneth over).
"I filled my cup with coffee before starting the meeting."
"She handed me a paper cup at the event."
"The soccer team celebrated by lifting the trophy cup."
"Please rinse the cup and put it in the dishwasher."
Cup comes from Middle English cuppe, from Old English cup, which, in turn, has roots in the Late Latin cupa or cupa, meaning “container” or “tub.” The ultimate origin traces to the Proto-Indo-European root kei- “to lie down, lie in wait,” but in English the sense shifted to a small vessel for drinking. By the 13th century, cup referred to a drinking vessel, often made of metal or ceramic, and the form expanded to include ceremonial cups and cups used in literature. The word’s early use is tied to everyday practicality, with additional figurative senses (cup as trophy) emerging in later centuries as symbolic containers of value or achievement. The pronunciation was historically long and clipped, evolving toward the modern brief monosyllable with a short, lax vowel. Over time, the word maintained its core meaning while adopting new phrases and metaphorical uses, such as “cup half full,” reflecting its continued cultural prominence.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "cup" and can often be used interchangeably.
🔄 These words have opposite meanings to "cup" and show contrast in usage.
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Words that rhyme with "cup"
-sup sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as /kʌp/. The initial /k/ is a hard, voiceless stop, then the vowel /ʌ/ is the short, relaxed open-mid back-central vowel (like ‘cut’ without the /t/), and finish with a crisp /p/ release. Keep the tongue low-mid, jaw relaxed, and avoid prolonging the vowel. Listen for a quick, energized ending to avoid glottalization. Audio reference: try listening to native speech in Cambridge or Oxford dictionaries.
Common errors: (1) Pronouncing with a rounded /ɔ/ like ‘corp’ in some accents; (2) Turning /p/ into a bilabial plosive with extra voicing or aspiration; (3) Reducing /ʌ/ toward /ə/ in fast speech. Correction: keep the /ʌ/ centralized and lax, not a schwa; end with a crisp voiceless /p/ release without voicing; and avoid adding extra lip rounding on /ʌ/. Practice with minimal pairs like cup - couple to feel the distinction.
In US/UK/AU, /kʌp/ remains the target, but vowel length and quality shift with rhotic and nonrhotic tendencies. US usually has a lax /ʌ/ with a shorter vowel, UK often shares /ʌ/ but may have slight vowel widening in some regional accents, and AU tends to maintain the same /ʌ/ but can show more vowel reduction in rapid speech. The final /p/ remains a crisp voiceless stop; some Australian speakers might unreleased final /p/ in casual speech. IPA remains /kʌp/ in all major dialects.
The difficulty lies in producing a clean, short /ʌ/ followed by a precise, unreleased–yet audible–/p/ at the end. Many speakers either over-dilate the vowel, resulting in a longer /ʌ/ like in 'cupful', or insert a glottal stop before /p/ in casual speech, which changes the sound. Another challenge is maintaining the crisp /p/ release without voicing. Focus on a tight closure and a quick puff of air for the final /p/.
Cup can trigger subtle lip rounding or jaw tension depending on adjacent sounds in context. When saying ‘cup of tea,’ the /ʌ/ can slightly back vowels in fast speech, and the /p/ may be shorter after a voiceless /f/ or /t/ cluster. You’ll want to maintain a consistent /ʌ/ and ensure the final /p/ is released rather than swallowed in rapid phrases. Pay attention to lip posture: low, relaxed lips with minimal rounding.
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