SOUND CONTRAST

Very vs berry: how to say English /v/ and /b/

English separates /v/ from /b/ with teeth on the lip versus closed lips. Practice very and berry with guidance for Spanish and Chinese speakers.

/v/ ≠ /b/

Hear the difference in your own voice

Voice settings

What your mouth is doing

For /v/, the upper teeth rest on the lower lip, and voiced air keeps flowing. For /b/, both lips close completely, stop the air and then release. One sound continues; the other starts with a brief closure.

Comparing with Mandarin and Spanish

Some languages use the letters b and v for one sound, or have no /v/ at all. A mirror helps: if you see teeth on the lip, you are making /v/.

Mandarin has no /v/, and Spanish b and v usually share one sound, which is not an error in Spanish. Check in a mirror: teeth on the lip for very, closed lips for berry.

Build the sound, step by step

Hold a long /v/ with your teeth on your lip, feeling the buzz.
Now close both lips for /b/, and release into the vowel of berry.
Read each pair while watching your lips in a mirror.

The very best berries are in the van.

What to watch for

Lips that only approach each other make a soft sound that fits neither target.
Biting down hard stops the air in /v/. Rest your teeth lightly.

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