Identifying the Different Initial Sound of 'un'

The question asks us to identify the word where the initial sound represented by the underlined 'un' is different from the other words provided in the options. To do this, we need to look at the pronunciation of the 'un' part in each word.

Analyzing the Sounds

Let's examine the sound of the underlined 'un' in each word:

• under: The 'un' in 'under' is pronounced with a short 'u' sound, similar to the 'u' in 'cut' or 'bus'. The phonetic transcription for the initial part is approximately /ʌn/.
• universe: The 'un' in 'universe' is pronounced with a 'yoo' sound, similar to the 'uni' in 'uniform' or the 'u' in 'use'. The phonetic transcription for the initial part is approximately /juːn/.
• union: The 'un' in 'union' is pronounced with a 'yoo' sound, similar to the 'uni' in 'universe' or the 'u' in 'use'. The phonetic transcription for the initial part is approximately /juːn/.
• unity: The 'un' in 'unity' is pronounced with a 'yoo' sound, similar to the 'uni' in 'universe' or 'union' or the 'u' in 'use'. The phonetic transcription for the initial part is approximately /juːn/.

Comparing the Sounds

By comparing the sounds, we can see the following:

• 'universe', 'union', and 'unity' all start with the same sound, approximately /juːn/.
• 'under' starts with a different sound, approximately /ʌn/.

Therefore, the word with the different sound represented by the underlined letter at the initial level is 'under'.