Oud is a noun referring to a short-necked, pear-shaped stringed instrument common in Middle Eastern music, and to the instrument’s sound itself. It has a fretless neck and a large, rounded body, producing a deep, resonant, vibrating tone often described as horn-like or velvety. In many contexts it also represents traditional or classical Middle Eastern musical taste and technique.
US: Slightly fronter vowel with a near-close near-back /ʊ/, soft arch of tongue; non-rhotic tendencies affect how the final /d/ lands in connected speech. UK: More dental contact on /d/, crisper release; vowel slightly more centralized. AU: Clear, clipped articulation with crisp final /d/ and reduced vowel length in fast speech. IPA references: /ʊd/ across variants; watch for rhoticity and vowel coloring. Accent tips: practice with minimal pair sets to solidify the final stop and prevent vowel length extension.
"She learned to play the oud after years of studying the guitar."
"The ensemble featured a solo oud that carried an intricate, mournful melody."
"In the concert, the oud provided a slow, expressive drone between the flute lines."
"He collected rare oud compositions, appreciating their microtonal nuances and improvisational freedom."
The word oud comes from a Persian-Arabic term used to denote a plucked string instrument. Its earliest references appear in Arabic texts describing lute-like instruments, with influence from Persian instruments such as the dutar and setar. The oud’s modern form crystallized in the medieval Islamic world, particularly in Baghdad and Damascus, where craftsmanship emphasized a short neck and a large rounded back. Its design supported microtonal playing and sustained, resonant tones, which became a hallmark of classical Arab and Turkish maqam traditions. The instrument spread through North Africa and into the Levant, with regional variants (such as the Arabic ‘oud’ vs. the Turkish ‘ud’). By the 15th–18th centuries, luthiers refined string tensions and soundboard materials, leading to a more pronounced low-end resonance. In Western scholarship, the oud is often discussed alongside the lute family, though it remained distinct due to its fretless neck, 11–14 strings in paired courses, and modal playing approach. The term has maintained its identity due to the instrument’s unique timbre, repertoire, and role in traditional ensembles, while modern fusion genres have broadened its contextual use globally.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Oud" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Oud"
-ood sounds
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Oud is pronounced with a short, close vowel sound, like 'ood' in 'food' but with a d ending. The IPA is /ʊd/. The first and only syllable carries a light, clipped onset and a crisp final /d/. If you’re teaching it, emphasize a rounded mouth shape for the /ʊ/ and a quick alveolar stop at the end. In most dialects, you’ll hear it as a single syllable: /ʊd/.
Common mistakes include lengthening the /ʊ/ into a full /u:/ as in 'food' or making a heavier glide before the /d/. Some speakers also add a trailing vowel or try to pronounce it as 'owd' with a diphthong. To correct: keep the vowel short and lax, close to /ʊ/, and finish with a crisp /d/ without a following vowel. Practice with a note of finality: /ʊd/.
In all three accents, the word remains a single syllable, /ʊd/. The key differences are in vowel backness and the quality of /d/: US often tips toward a lighter, alveolar /d/, UK may show slightly more dental touch, and AU often has even crisper, shorter vowels due to non-rhotic tendencies interacting with clear final /d/. The main contrast is how authoritative the final /d/ appears and how open the lips are for /ʊ/.
The difficulty comes from the short, lax /ʊ/ vowel in combination with the final /d/ in a single, closed syllable. The vowel demands high tongue position without overt diphthong, and the final alveolar stop must be released cleanly without a following vowel. Also, the word has no consonant cluster to guide the release, so maintaining a crisp /d/ is essential. Focus on a tight, compact mouth position and precise tongue-tip contact.
No silent letters in 'Oud.' It’s a one-syllable, monosyllabic word with primary stress on the single vowel /ʊ/. There’s no alternative stress pattern. The challenge is not stress location but achieving a compact, precise articulation: maintain a short /ʊ/ and a clean /d/ release.
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