/w/ — the /w/ sound
the /w/ sound
Consonants · Approximants
This sound hasn't been scored yet.
How to make it
Round and purse the lips as if blowing out a candle, then open into the vowel.
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 - W [w] Consonant - How to make the W [w] Consonant Watch on YouTube
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Words with this sound
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way
/weɪ/
we
/wiː/
why
/waɪ/
wow
/waʊ/
away
/əˈweɪ/
one
/wʌn/
wait
/weɪt/
walk
/waːk/
wash
/wɑːʃ/
watch
/wɑːtʃ/
weak
/wiːk/
week
/wiːk/
Minimal pairs
Two words that differ by exactly one sound. Listen until you can tell them apart, then say them yourself.
- w
wine
/waɪn/
vvine
/ˈvaɪ̯n/
- w
one
/wʌn/
rrun
/rʌn/
- w
way
/weɪ/
ppay
/peɪ/
- w
we
/wiː/
bbe
/bi/
- w
we
/wiː/
ttea
/tiː/
- w
wait
/weɪt/
ddate
/deɪt/
- w
wow
/waʊ/
kcow
/kaʊ/
- w
wait
/weɪt/
ggate
/ɡeɪt/
Test yourself on this sound
Read these 8 words in one recording. The AI scores every sound and tells you whether your /w/ came out right.