Northwestern University Auditory Test Number 6 (NU-6) words consist of three syllables in a consonant-vowel-consonant structure. Given that targets and responses can consist of combinations of consonants and vowels (e.g., clusters, dipthongs, etc.), the three syllables are referred to linguistically as onset (initial grouping of consonants), nucleus (middle vowel portion), and coda (final grouping of consonants). For phoneme scoring, each element (i.e., onset, nucleus, and coda) is awarded 1 point if correct with a few scoring exceptions as follows:
1) Consonants (forming consonant clusters) are grouped with the onset or the coda rather than with the nucleus, with the exception of the [r]-colored schwa, which is treated as a single vowel sound [ɚ].
Examples:	Target	Response
	search [sɚtʃ]	teach [titʃ]	(1 point for coda)
	shirt [ʃɚt]	short [ʃort]	(1 point for coda)
	shawl [ʃɑl]	sharp [ʃɑrp]	(2 points for onset and nucleus)
2) Vowel coloring (e.g., by laterals and glides) should be disregarded if possible. Try to determine the status of the vowel before it is influenced by the following consonant.
Examples:	Target	Response
	goal [goʊl]	goat [goʊt]	(2 points for onset and nucleus)
	shall [ʃæl]	shout [ʃaʊt] a	(1 point for onset)
3) In the case of two-syllable responses, the stressed vowel of the response (i.e., response nucleus) will be compared with the vowel in the target (i.e., target nucleus). Any phoneme(s) before or after the response nucleus are considered onset or coda, respectively, and will be compared with the target onset or coda.
Examples:	Target	Response
	pole [poʊl]	poet [poʊɪt]	(2 points for onset and nucleus)
	hall [hɑl]	appall [əpɑl]	(2 points for nucleus and coda)
4) Due to dialectical differences, b certain phonetic distinctions are collapsed in certain conditioning environments. This collapsing is such that the variances in pronunciation shown below are treated as allophones of single phonemes.
• No distinction is made between the low back rounded [ɔ] and unrounded [ɑ] vowel in any environment.
Examples:	Target	Response
	wall [wɔl]	far [fɑr]	(1 point for nucleus)
	jar [jɑr]	jaw [jɔ]	(2 points for onset and nucleus)
• No distinction is made between the high front tense [i] and lax [ɪ] vowel in the environment before a velar nasal consonant [ŋ], before the consonant cluster C[+ nasal]C[+ velar], or in other environments where they may be considered allophones.
Examples:	Target	Response
	sing [sɪŋ]	king [kɪŋ]	(2 points for nucleus and coda)
	think [θɪnk]	seem [sim]	(1 point for nucleus) c
	link [link]	thin [θɪn]	(1 point for nucleus)
• No distinction is made between the mid front lax vowel [ɛ] and the mid front diphthong [eɪ] in the environment before a voiced velar consonant ([ŋ] or [g])
Examples:	Target	Response
	beg [bɛg]	leg [leɪg]	(2 points for nucleus and coda)
	length [lɛŋθ]	strength [streɪŋθ]	(2 points for nucleus and coda)

^aDiphthongs should be treated as single vowel sounds and cannot be broken into two component parts.

^bDialectical differences between the NU-6 speaker and the listener must also be considered.

^c[i] and [ɪ] are considered allophones of the same phoneme.