English Pronunciation: B vs V sounds

One of the most common pronunciation mistakes that I hear is the pronunciation of the v sound as a b sound (for example, saying BERRY when you really mean to say VERY).

This is especially common among Spanish and Catalan speakers, but reviewing the difference between these two similar sounds can be useful for practically any English learner.

So check out this short, but useful video and then read the transcript to help you understand everything:

Transcript:

Hey RealLifers, what’s going on? This is Ethan with a special one minute video for you. So, today I’m going to talk to you about the difference between the B and the V sound in English.

This is a problem that is very common with Spanish and Catalan speakers, as in these languages the B and the V sound is often very similar or exactly the same. So, the B sound is very similar to the P sound, but instead of it being unvoiced, like the P sound, it’s voiced. So, what I mean by voiced is that, when you make it, your vocal chords vibrate. So, it’s… (B sound)

The V sound, is actually made quite differently. It’s made like the F sound, but it’s also voiced, like the B sound. So, that sounds something like this: (V sound), where your teeth touch your bottom lip. So, V, F.

EXAMPLES

• Berry and Very
• Boat and Vote
• Ban and Van
• Serb and Serve
• Lobes and Loaves

We hope you enjoyed this video and learned a lot about differentiating these two similar sounds. Remember to subscribe to us on YouTube and to our mailing list to help you take your English to the next level.

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