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/v/ — the /v/ sound

/v/

the /v/ sound

Consonants · Fricatives

voice

This sound hasn't been scored yet.

Biibo

How to make it

Like /f/, but voiced and held a little longer.

Pairs with /f/ — same mouth shape, only the voicing differs.

Watch a native speaker say it

See the mouth and tongue before you record — hearing a sound rarely tells you where the tongue goes.

Rachel's English · English Sounds - F [f] and V [v] Consonants - How to make the F and V Consonants Watch on YouTube

More videos

Ultrasound and MRI of this soundOpens the Seeing Speech IPA chart (University of Glasgow): ultrasound tongue video and MRI of the sound being made.

Words with this sound

Tap the speaker to hear a native speaker say it.

  • of

    /ʌv/

  • five

    /ˈfaɪ̯v/

  • give

    /ɡɪv/

  • have

    /hæv/

  • live

    /lɪv/

  • love

    /lʌv/

  • move

    /muːv/

  • oven

    /ˈʌvn/

  • over

    /ˈoʊvər/

  • van

    /væn/

  • above

    /əˈbʊv/

  • arrive

    /əˈɹaɪv/

Minimal pairs

Two words that differ by exactly one sound. Listen until you can tell them apart, then say them yourself.

  • have

    /hæv/

    v

    half

    /hæf/

    f
  • vine

    /ˈvaɪ̯n/

    v

    wine

    /waɪn/

    w
  • vase

    /veɪs/

    v

    base

    /beɪs/

    b
  • van

    /væn/

    v

    pan

    /pæn/

    p
  • have

    /hæv/

    v

    hat

    /hæt/

    t
  • live

    /lɪv/

    v

    lid

    /lɪd/

    d
  • van

    /væn/

    v

    can

    /kæn/

    k
  • vote

    /voʊt/

    v

    goat

    /ɡoʊt/

    g
Drill /v/ vs /f/

Test yourself on this sound

Read these 8 words in one recording. The AI scores every sound and tells you whether your /v/ came out right.