🔊 These two words sound EXACTLY the same
/bluː/
Different spelling. Different meaning. Identical pronunciation.
mouth shape
lips round tightly and push forward — long /uː/ like 'zoo', 'true', 'clue'
blue
/bluː/
vowel length
past tense of blow — 'the wind blew' — sounds identical to the colour blue
mouth shape
identical to blue — /bluː/ — these two words sound exactly the same
blew
/bluː/
vowel length
Spelling spotlight
blue
spelled with UE
blew
spelled with EW
Both -ue and -ew represent the same long /uː/ sound. Other examples: clue/clew, flew/flu.
Key difference
There is no pronunciation difference. Both are /bluː/ — lips tightly rounded, long sustained vowel.blue is the colour; blew is the past tense of blow. Context always makes it clear which one is meant.
Example sentences
blue:“The sky is blue.”
blew:“The wind blew all night.”
blew:“She blew out the candles.”
Hear it in a sentence
“She painted her front door a deep, glossy blue.”
“The wind blew the papers off the desk and across the room.”
Hear it in the wild
Real speech from native speakers — the most reliable way to check a pronunciation, since automated audio can vary by device and browser.
blue
Hear native speakers say “blue” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
blew
Hear native speakers say “blew” in real sentences — news, lectures, and podcasts.
Opens YouTube-sourced clips in a new tab.
How teachers explain this
Approved tips from the community, sorted by helpfulness
Word families
blue family ▸
blow family (blew is past tense) ▸
Related pairs
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