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.
- very/ˈveri/ · sound is initial
- over/ˈəʊvə/ · sound is medial
- love/lʌv/ · sound is final
- travel/ˈtrævəl/ · sound is medial
- view/vjuː/ · 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.
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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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