How to pronounce "nuh uh" in English
ˈnʌˌʔʌ
NUH·ʔuh
Primary stress: NUH
Hear native speakers say nuh uh in context across real video clips
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “nuh uh”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
NUH
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
ʔuh
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the first syllable ("NUH"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "nuh uh" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "nuh uh is" sounds like "nuh uh-iz").
In natural sentences, avoid over-stressing "nuh uh" unless it conveys the core contrast or focal point of your message.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“Bob then says, oh shoot, there's R. Alice is like, nuh uh.”— MIT OpenCourseWareWatch clip
“Poopy face. Nuh uh. You're a poopy face.”— TEDx TalksWatch clip
“Nuh uh. These guys got it-- 20, 000 kilometers off-course in 24 billion miles of travel.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “nuh uh”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
Bob then says, oh shoot, there's R. Alice is like, nuh uh.
Hear it in context: “nuh uh”
16 clipsThe English word “nuh uh” is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) as ˈnʌˌʔʌ (phonetic respelling: NUH-ʔuh). Phonologically, it consists of 2 syllables (NUH · ʔuh), with primary lexical stress placed on the 1st (initial) syllable (NUH). Grammatically, “nuh uh” functions as a interjection. SayItVid indexes 16 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “nuh uh” in natural connected speech across American (US: 3 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from MIT OpenCourseWare, TEDx Talks.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (3 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USMIT OpenCourseWareClip #1 · @74:28
“grabs it. Bob then says, oh shoot, there's R. Alice is like, nuh uh. Alice closes the channel right after 5:00 and grabs hers”
- 🇺🇸 USTEDx TalksClip #2 · @0:10
“Transcriber: Simran Kavi Reviewer: Massa Krayem Poopy face. Nuh uh. You're a poopy face. Mhm. I'm rubber and you're glue.”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @14:22
“Could we do any better than that? Nuh uh. These guys got it-- 20, 000 kilometers off-course in 24 billion miles of travel. These guys got it-- 20,000 kilometers off-course”
Definition & Meaning: “nuh uh”
- No; uh-uh.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Peebee: Nuh-uh-uh, no peeking. I'm putting the finishing touches on my personal project.”
- “Bob then says, oh shoot, there's R. Alice is like, nuh uh.”
- “Poopy face. Nuh uh. You're a poopy face.”
Pronounce: “nuh uh”
- Pronunciation:
- NUH-ʔuh
- Syllables:
- NUH · ʔuh
- Written Hyphenation:
- nu · huh
- Primary stress:
- NUH
- IPA:
- ˈnʌˌʔʌ
- Hear it in context
- nuh uh
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"nuh uh" (⁄ˈnʌˌʔʌ⁄) has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "nuh uh" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about nuh uh
How do you pronounce “nuh uh”?
“nuh uh” is pronounced ⁄ˈnʌˌʔʌ⁄ (NUH-ʔuh). Listen to the native-speaker clips above to hear it in real conversation.
How many syllables are in “nuh uh”?
“nuh uh” has 2 syllables: NUH · ʔuh.
Where is the stress in “nuh uh”?
The primary stress in “nuh uh” is on “NUH”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “nuh uh” mean?
No; uh-uh.
How can I hear “nuh uh” used in real sentences?
This page has 16 real-world video examples of “nuh uh” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “nuh uh”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).