I'll be the pedant and argue that if you want to figure out how to sound proper Dutch, there's a difference. "new" sounds like "neeuuuuu" in US English, and a

I'll be the pedant and argue that if you want to figure out how to sound proper Dutch, there's a difference. "new" sounds like "neeuuuuu" in US English, and a diphtong "nuuu" in British English. "nieuw" sounds like "niii" followed by a very short "oooo" as in "do" followed by a slightly more pronounced "w" at the end. I'm aware that there are proper ways to codify pronunciation, but it's more fun this way and I know nothing of it.