Pronunciation · consonant
The /w/ sound — w as in we
In short
/w/ is a labial-velar approximant — the consonant you hear in we, away, quick. 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 /w/
- 1Round your lips into a tight circle, as if about to whistle.
- 2Raise the back of your tongue and glide into the next vowel.
- 3Your top teeth must NOT touch your bottom lip — that makes a v.
Sounds like: a quick 'oo' gliding into the next sound
/w/ in words — with audio
Listen, then copy. The slow (turtle) version exaggerates the mouth movement.
- we/wiː/ · sound is initial
- away/əˈweɪ/ · sound is medial
- quick/kwɪk/ · sound is medial
- work/wɜːk/ · sound is initial
- always/ˈɔːlweɪz/ · sound is medial
The mistake almost everyone makes
Merging it with /v/ so 'west' sounds like 'vest' and 'wine' like 'vine' — a signature error for Hindi, Urdu, German and Russian speakers. The fix is fully rounded lips, no teeth contact.
Who struggles with this sound:
- Hindi speakers — v and w merge into one sound — 'west' and 'vest', 'wine' and 'vine' are identical
- Urdu speakers — v and w merge — 'vest'/'west', 'vine'/'wine' are indistinguishable
- Bengali speakers — /w/ weakens to a vowel glide — 'would' loses its onset
- Russian speakers — v and w confused in both directions — 'vest'/'west', and hyper-corrected 'vodka' → 'wodka'
- Turkish speakers — v and w merge into one sound — 'vest'/'west' indistinguishable
- Farsi speakers — no /w/ in Farsi — 'we' → 've', 'wine' → 'vine'
Spellings of /w/
These letter patterns commonly spell /w/: w wh u o. 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.
Keep exploring
Frequently asked questions
How do you pronounce the /w/ sound?
Round your lips into a tight circle, as if about to whistle. Raise the back of your tongue and glide into the next vowel. Your top teeth must NOT touch your bottom lip — that makes a v.
What is the most common mistake with /w/?
Merging it with /v/ so 'west' sounds like 'vest' and 'wine' like 'vine' — a signature error for Hindi, Urdu, German and Russian speakers. The fix is fully rounded lips, no teeth contact.
Which spellings make the /w/ sound?
Common spellings include “w”, “wh”, “u”, “o” — as in we /wiː/, away /əˈweɪ/, quick /kwɪk/.
Does /w/ 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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