How to Pronounce the /v/ Sound

In this lesson, we're gonna delve into all the details about the /v/ sound. Do you wanna improve your English language proficiency? Let's go then.

How to Pronounce the /v/ Sound

In this lesson, we are going to grasp how we can masterfully produce the /v/ sound using the proper articulatory organs.

What Type of Sound Is /v/?

/v/ is a consonant sound in the English language.

How to Produce /v/?

how to pronounce /v/

As you can see, in picture (a), in order to make this sound, we need both the upper teeth and the lower lip for this sound. We put the inside of the lower lip under the top teeth. As you can see, in picture (b), the uvula does not let the air come out of the nose. Your lip simply touches your teeth and then the air comes out from between your front upper teeth and your bottom lip. As you can see, the tongue remains in its place. Make sure that you do not bite your lip because in that case, the air will come out from around your mouth corners which is wrong. Pay attention to the circle in the throat that is red. It indicates that the v sound is voiced so we have to vibrate our vocal cords.
In picture (c ), it is clearer that the tongue remains in its place and does not participate in the production of the v sound. It makes no contact with the mouth. Below, there are the letters that represent the /v/ sound:

Vernacular /vərˈnækjələr/

Vacancy /veɪkənsi/

Venture /ventʃər/

Vase /veɪs/

/v/ Sound in 17 Most Common World Languages

As you can see in the table below, several common languages in the world do not have the /v/ sound; languages like Mandarin Chinese, Bengali, Japanese, Korean, Marathi, and Arabic. However, with the instructions provided, along with a bit of practice, you can easily produce the /v/ sound. Look:

The Languages Do You Have It? Examples
Mandarin x -
Spanish afgano
Hindustani x -
Bengali x -
Portuguese vila
Russian волосы
Japanese x -
Vietnamese
Marathi x -
Turkish vade
French valve
German Wächter
Italian avare
Persian ورزش
Arabic (Standard) x -
Korean x -

Listening

Below, there is an audio file that helps you learn the proper pronunciation of the /v/ sound:

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