/v/

consonant · voiced

The V Sound

as in very

How to make the /v/ sound

Voiced — vocal cords vibrate
voiced voiceless
  1. 1Same teeth-on-lip position as F.
  2. 2Switch the voice on — feel the lip buzz.
  3. 3Note: "of" is pronounced with a V sound, not F.

⚠ The most common mistake

Replacing with W ("wery") or B ("bery").

Especially tricky for speakers of: Hindi, Spanish, German, Mandarin.

Train your ear: /v/ vs /w/

These two words differ by exactly one sound. Tap both — can you hear it?

Practice: Record & Compare

Record yourself saying very, then compare with the target. Your audio stays on this device — nothing is uploaded.

Practice words with /v/

Tap the speaker to hear each word; tap the word for its full pronunciation page.

More consonants

See all 44 sounds of English →