Pronunciation · consonant

The /v/ sound: v as in very

In short

/v/ is a voiced labiodental fricative, the consonant you hear in very, over, love. It is voiced: your vocal cords vibrate while you make it. Below: exactly how to position your mouth, audio you can copy, the mistakes learners actually make, and drills to fix them.

How to pronounce /v/

1Touch your top teeth to your bottom lip, same position as /f/.
2Switch your voice on: the lip should tickle.
3Keep teeth on lip; do not round your lips into a w.

Sounds like: f with the voice switched on

/v/ in words, with audio

Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.

veryˈveri · sound is initial
overˈəʊvə · sound is medial
lovelʌv · sound is final
travelˈtrævəl · sound is medial
viewvjuː · sound is initial

The mistake almost everyone makes

Merging it with /w/ ('very' → 'wery') or /b/ ('vote' → 'boat'), among the highest-impact consonant errors for Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Spanish and German speakers.

Who struggles with this sound:

Spanish speakers: b and v merge into one soft sound: 'berry' and 'very' are indistinguishable
Mandarin speakers: /v/ becomes /w/ or /f/: 'very' sounds like 'wery'
Bengali speakers: /v/ hardens to a b-like sound: 'very' → 'bery'
Arabic speakers: /v/ devoices to /f/: 'very' → 'ferry', 'leave' → 'leaf'
Thai speakers: /v/ becomes /w/: 'very' → 'wery'
Japanese speakers: /v/ becomes /b/: 'very' → 'berry', 'vote' → 'boat'

Spellings of /v/

These letter patterns commonly spell /v/: v ve. English spelling is unreliable; trust the IPA, not the letters.

Don't confuse it with…

Minimal pairs isolate the exact contrast, the fastest way to train both your ear and your mouth.

Words that drill /v/

Each has a full breakdown, audio in both accents and a recording drill. Practising a sound inside a real word transfers better than practising it alone.

mischievousMIS-chiv-us vegetableVEJ-tuh-bul everyEV-ree vehicleVEE-uh-kul environmentin-VY-run-munt vulnerableVUL-nuh-ruh-bul

Browse the whole word bank

Frequently asked questions

How do you pronounce the /v/ sound?

Touch your top teeth to your bottom lip, same position as /f/. Switch your voice on: the lip should tickle. Keep teeth on lip; do not round your lips into a w.

What is the most common mistake with /v/?

Merging it with /w/ ('very' → 'wery') or /b/ ('vote' → 'boat'), among the highest-impact consonant errors for Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Spanish and German speakers.

Which spellings make the /v/ sound?

Common spellings include “v”, “ve”, as in very /ˈveri/, over /ˈəʊvə/, love /lʌv/.

Does /v/ matter for IELTS?

Yes. This is a high-priority sound. Errors here frequently change one word into another, which examiners hear as reduced clarity (the exact Band 6 wording is “mispronunciation … reduces clarity at times”).

Next step

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