SOUND LESSON

How to pronounce /v/: the v sound in voice

Make /v/ with upper teeth on the lower lip and voicing on. Separate very from berry and vest from west, with guidance for Chinese and Spanish speakers.

/v/

American English: /v/ · fricative · labiodental · voiced
British English: /v/ · fricative · labiodental · voiced

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Pronunciation model

Try it in a word

We love very good voices.

Mouth & tongue

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Vocal folds: vibrating

TongueTeethUvula

Simplified human pronunciation. The small uvula hangs from the palate; it is not the vocal folds. The wave indicates voicing.

Voice settings

The mouth starts slightly open. Movement is slowed for observation; the synthetic sound plays once at its original speed. Pause holds the current mouth shape; reset returns to the relaxed position. The panda is a symbolic teaching aid for human pronunciation, not animal anatomy.

What your mouth is doing

The mouth position matches /f/: upper teeth rest on the lower lip. The difference is voicing. Air flows through the gap while the vocal folds vibrate, creating a soft buzz you can feel on your lip.

Comparing with Mandarin and Spanish

Many languages lack a separate /v/, so learners may replace it with a neighboring sound. Use the buzz on the lower lip as your check, and keep it continuous: /v/ has no closure.

Mandarin has no /v/, and learners may use w instead. Spanish b and v usually share one sound, which is not an error in Spanish, but English separates berry and very.

Build the sound, step by step

Set the mouth for /f/ and blow gently.
Add voice without moving anything. Your lower lip should tickle slightly.
Say very, seven and love, keeping the buzz right to the end of love.

What to watch for

Both lips touching gives /b/, and rounded lips with no tooth contact give /w/. Check the upper teeth are on the lip.
Final /v/ can lose its voicing. In leave, keep the vowel longer than in leaf.

Hear the difference in your own voice

Practice very and berry, then vest and west. For /b/, the lips close and release. For /w/, the lips round with no tooth contact. For /v/, teeth touch the lip and air keeps flowing.

References & editorial notes

PronounceKit wrote this lesson as practical guidance. The references below describe the sounds; the comparisons with other languages are editorial teaching suggestions. It describes common American and British patterns, not every accent, and it has not been independently reviewed by a pronunciation specialist. The mouth model is a simplified teaching aid, not a validated simulation.

Published 3 November 2026