Pronunciation in English
V Sounds in English
The /v/ sound in English is a voiced consonant sound. It’s formed by putting your lower lip up against your upper teeth. There’s a slight vibration that comes from the lower lip and the vocal chords. If you make this sound incorrectly, it sounds like an /f/. The two videos on this page show the initial /v/ sound at the beginning of a word and the middle /v/ sound in the middle of a word.
/v/ – Initial V
middle /v/
When the /v/ sound appears in the middle of a word, it has an effect on the vowel sounds before and after it.
/v/ – Middle V
final /v/ + word endings
In this video, the /v/ sound appears at the end of a word. There are also examples of what “v” sounds like when it is followed by a /z/ sound (spelled with an “s”) and a /d/ sound when “ed” is added to a word.
/v/ – Middle V