One of the first English words learners encounter is "of," and almost everyone gets it wrong at first. It looks like it should rhyme with "off," but it does not. "Of" is pronounced /ʌv/ (with a V sound), while "off" is /ɒf/ (with an F sound).
The Rule
"Of" is the only common English word where F is pronounced as /v/. This is a historical holdover: in Old English, the letter F between vowels or in unstressed positions was voiced as /v/. Modern English spelling preserved the F, but the pronunciation kept the V.
OF in Connected Speech
In natural speech, "of" is usually reduced and unstressed:
- "cup of tea" → /ˌkʌp.ə.ˈtiː/ (the "of" nearly disappears, becoming just /ə/)
- "kind of" → /ˈkaɪn.dəv/ or even /ˈkaɪn.də/
- "a lot of" → /ə.ˈlɑː.ɾəv/ (with a flap T in American English)
- "because of" → /bɪˈkɑː.zəv/
Other Common Words with Unexpected Voicing
"Of" is not the only everyday word with a surprising voiced consonant:
Notice the pattern: "is" ends in /z/ not /s/, "was" ends in /z/, "has" ends in /z/, "his" ends in /z/. These are all extremely common function words where the final consonant is voiced.
Why Function Words Have Voiced Sounds
Function words (of, is, was, has, the, this, these, those) are spoken quickly and in unstressed positions. When sounds are between vowels in flowing speech, they naturally become voiced. Over centuries, these voiced pronunciations became the standard.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- "of" /ʌv/ ≠ "off" /ɒf/ (different words, different sounds)
- "is" /ɪz/ ≠ "ice" /aɪs/ (Z not S at the end)
- "has" /hæz/ ≠ "hass" (Z not S at the end)
Practice Phrases
- A piece of /ʌv/ cake.
- She is /ɪz/ one of /ʌv/ the best.
- He was /wʌz/ here because of /ʌv/ his /hɪz/ work.
- These /ðiːz/ are some of /ʌv/ the reasons.
Quick Summary
"Of" = /ʌv/ (V sound), never /ɒf/. Many common function words (is, was, has, his) end in voiced consonants. This happens because these words are spoken quickly in unstressed positions, causing voicing.