W vs V: How to Pronounce /w/ and /v/
Wine or vine? West or vest? Learn to hear and say the difference.
Many learners use one sound for both letters, so wine and vine sound the same. The difference is easy to see: /w/ uses your lips, /v/ uses your teeth.
Two Different Sounds
One small change in the mouth makes a big difference for the listener.
1/w/ as in wine
Round your lips into a small circle, as for “oo”. Then open them quickly into the next vowel. Your teeth do not touch your lips. /w/ is not really a consonant you hold: it is a quick glide.
- we
- wine
- west
- window
- one /wʌn/
- quick /kwɪk/
- language /ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
2/v/ as in vine
Put your top teeth lightly on your lower lip and push air through while you use your voice. You should feel a buzz on your lip. /v/ is the voiced partner of /f/.
- very
- vine
- vest
- seven
- love
- of /ɒv/
3Who finds this difficult?
German and Dutch speakers (the letter w is /v/ in German), Russian, Turkish and Polish speakers, and speakers of Hindi, Urdu and other South Asian languages, which often have one sound between /w/ and /v/.
Spelling Traps
The letters don’t always tell you which sound to use.
1/w/ without a letter w
| Spelling | Examples | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| qu | quick, queen, question | /kw/ |
| gu, su | language, penguin, persuade, suite | /ɡw/, /sw/ |
| o | one, once | /wʌn/, /wʌns/ |
| ch | choir | /ˈkwaɪə/ |
2Silent w
In these words, the w is not pronounced at all:
- write
- wrong
- wrist
- answer
- sword
- two
- who /huː/
- whole /həʊl/
- Greenwich /ˈɡrenɪtʃ/
3wh
In British English, wh is simply /w/: what, when, where, which, white. So which and witch sound the same.
Minimal Pairs
Say each pair slowly, then quickly. Use a mirror: you should see your lips round for /w/ and your teeth touch your lip for /v/.
| /w/ | /v/ |
|---|---|
| wine | vine |
| west | vest |
| wet | vet |
| while | vile |
| worse | verse |
| wheel | veal |
| went | vent |
| wiper | viper |
| wail | veil |
| wow | vow |
Practice Sentences
Read each sentence aloud. Then record yourself and listen.
1Step by step
- Say “oo”, then “oo-ine”, faster and faster, until it becomes wine.
- Say “fff”, then add your voice: “vvv”. Feel the buzz on your lip.
- Alternate slowly: wine – vine, wine – vine.
- Put both sounds into a sentence and say it at normal speed.
2Sentences
- We went west in a white van.
- Very well, we’ll wait for Victor.
- The vet was wet when he went to the village.
- Why are the windscreen wipers on the van so worn?
- William always wears a woolly vest in winter.
- Vincent and Will visited Wales in very wet weather.
3Tip for German speakers
Tip: German W as in Wasser is the English /v/. For English /w/, think of the German „u“ in Uwe said very quickly before the vowel: „u-ein“ → wine. And remember: in English, v is never /f/. Very is not „fery“.
Check Yourself
Choose the right word, then open the answer.
-
I’d like a glass of red ___. (wine / vine)
Show answer
wine: /waɪn/
-
My dog is ill. I need to take him to the ___. (wet / vet)
Show answer
vet: /vet/
-
It’s cold. Put on a ___ under your shirt. (west / vest)
Show answer
vest: /vest/
-
Keep both hands on the steering ___. (wheel / veal)
Show answer
wheel: /wiːl/
-
Which letter is silent in answer?
Show answer
The w: /ˈɑːnsə/
-
How many /w/ sounds are there in One quick question?
Show answer
Three: one /wʌn/, quick /kwɪk/, question /ˈkwestʃən/
Keep Practising
Related pages in the Pronunciation Studio.
Lips or Teeth?
Practise five minutes a day with a mirror. Once you can see the difference, you’ll start to hear it, and so will your listeners.
Round for /w/. Teeth for /v/.
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