The audio here is generated speech. A recorded human voice for this lesson is on the way.

The two sounds

F and V are made by resting your top teeth lightly on your bottom lip and pushing air through. F is voiceless, a soft hiss. V is the same position with your voice on, so it buzzes against your lip. Put a finger on your lip and say "vvv": you'll feel it vibrate.

Two mistakes are common. Some learners use both lips, which makes B or P instead: "very" becomes "berry". Others swap V and W, saying "west" for "vest". Keep your top teeth on your lip for both F and V, and the problem disappears.

Hear the difference

Tap each word. Then test your ear.

  • In "of", the F is pronounced like V: "a cup of tea" is "a cup ov tea".

Test your ear

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

  1. "Of" sounds like "ov". "Coffee" and "flight" have a clear F.

Practice · 3 min

Say each sentence with a mirror in front of you. Check that your top teeth touch your lip on every F and V. Record the fourth sentence and listen for "Victor", "found", "fine", "view" and "fifth".

Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.