Mixing Up the V and W Sounds – English Sounds

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to recognize the difference between the V and W sounds and adjust your mouth position to produce a clear American English V.

Why Do V and W Get Confused?

The V sound and W sound are made with very different mouth positions, but learners may accidentally substitute one for the other.

For example, instead of saying:

• university with a clear V sound

a learner might pronounce it more like:

• uniwersity

This can happen when the V sound doesn’t exist in a learner’s native language or when they’ve developed a habit of using the W sound instead.

The good news is that this is a habit you can change with focused pronunciation practice.

How to Make the V Sound

The key to a clear V sound /v/ is your mouth position.

Unlike the W sound, the V sound involves your upper teeth touching your lower lip. The sound is also voiced, meaning your vocal cords vibrate when you make it.

Don’t Let Your Mouth Move Into the W Position

When you’re practicing the V sound, pay attention to what your mouth is doing.

If your lips move into the rounded position used for W, you may accidentally produce a W instead of a V.

Instead, focus on keeping the correct V position:

V → upper teeth + lower lip

W → rounded lips

Practicing this physical difference can help you break the habit and make your pronunciation clearer.

Practice the V Sound in Common Words

Try listening carefully to and practicing the V sound in these words:

• university
• visit
• very
• volleyball

In each word, make sure you are producing a clear V, rather than replacing it with a W.

University

The word university begins with the V sound:

university → /ˌjuːnəˈvɝːsəti/

Be especially careful not to turn the V into a W.

Visit

Practice the V sound at the beginning of:

visit

Keep your upper teeth lightly against your lower lip as you begin the word.

Very

The V sound is also important in:

very

This is a useful everyday word to practice because you’ll hear and use it frequently.

Volleyball

Try the V sound twice in:

volleyball

Focus on making each V distinct.

Key Takeaways

• V and W are different sounds and require different mouth positions.
• For V, your upper teeth touch your lower lip.
• Avoid letting your lips move into the rounded W position.
• If you regularly replace V with W, it may simply be a pronunciation habit.
• Practice words such as university, visit, very, and volleyball to build a stronger V sound.
• With awareness and consistent practice, you can change the habit and make your English pronunciation clearer.

Keep Practicing Your V Sound

If you sometimes pronounce V as W, don’t get discouraged. Pronunciation habits can be changed! The important thing is to become aware of your mouth position and practice the V sound deliberately until the new movement becomes natural.