Pronunciation of V

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1. Lesson 1

10 questions

2. Lesson 2

11 questions

3. Lesson 3

11 questions

Explanation

Quick Answer

The pronunciation of the Spanish letter vis exactly the same as the Spanish b.

Both b and v are pronounced like the English letter b in words such as Basque or neighbor, but without closing the lips completely in some word positions. Compare the sound of the English b in Basque and neighbor with the v in their Spanish translations, vascoand vecino.

The Spanish v is never pronounced like the English v.

The Sound of the Letter “V”

"V" Is a Consonant

The letter v represents the Spanish consonant sound, or phoneme, /b/. When a consonant sound is uttered, the flow of air out of the mouth is partially or completely blocked at some point.

What's This Letter's Name?

The name of this letter varies across regions. For example, in most parts of Latin America it’s called ve, whereas in Spain it’s called uve. The fact that its Latin American name sounds the same as the name of the letter b can lead to confusion. To avoid that, many Latin American Spanish speakers often use alternative names, such as ve corta, ve baja, or ve chica.

Note that the Spanish letter v is never pronounced like the English v. Instead, its pronunciation is exactly the same as that of the Spanish letter b.

You will find words that have completely different meanings, but sound the same. This is because one starts with a b and the other starts with a v. For example, the word votar(to vote) is pronounced /botáɾ/, just like the word botar(to throw away, to bounce). Linguists call these words homophones, or homófonosin Spanish.

How to Pronounce "V" in Spanish

The Spanish v is bilabial, which means it is pronounced by pressing the lips together to close the mouth completely for an instant. Then the air is let out abruptly.

Unlike the sound of p—which is a similar sound—the vocal cords vibrate when uttering v, so linguists classify it as voiced, or sonorain Spanish. Check out how the v is pronounced in these words: vino(wine), vacío(empty), bulevar(boulevard), calvo(bald), and cerveza(beer).

The Variant Sound of “V”

The Spanish v sounds exactly like the English b when it is found at the beginning of a word or after the letter n, for example in vaso(glass) and enviar(send).

In the rest of the positions, the Spanish v is similar to the English b, but often pronounced with the lips barely open rather than closed tight. Linguists represent this variant sound of v as [β̞]. You may hear it inside a word (except before n), for example: caravana(caravan), provocar(provoke), arveja(pea), and ovni(UFO).

Can “B” and “V” Go Together?

Yes, they can. Just like in English, the combination bv is found in a few Spanish words, but always between vowels. One example of a bv combination in Spanish is obvio(obvious). The usual way to pronounce this combination is by uttering two equal sounds: /óβ̞β̞io/. However, in informal speech, you may hear native speakers pronounce a single sound: /óβ̞io/.

Note that the combination vb is not used in Spanish.

Examples

Let’s look at some examples of words containing the letter v in different word positions and letter combinations.

Spanish	English	Position-Combination
vaca	cow	beginning of word + vowel
ver	see	beginning of word + vowel
vida	life	beginning of word + vowel
voz	voice	beginning of word + vowel
vuelo	flight	beginning of word + vowel
aventura	adventure	inside word + between vowels
clavo	nail	inside word + between vowels
lluvia	rain	inside word + between vowels
bienvenido	welcome	inside word + beginning of syllable
ciervo	deer	inside word + beginning of syllable
desvío	detour	inside word + beginning of syllable

One Letter, One Sound

The pronunciation of the letter v varies little throughout the Spanish-speaking world, so there shouldn’t be much difference between the way vivir(to live) sounds in New York’s Bronx, the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, or the Ramblas in Barcelona.