Back to all sounds
Consonant
W
The W sound is a voiced labio-velar approximant. It's like a quick glide starting with rounded lips (similar to the OO vowel /u/) and moving quickly away from that position.
Phonetic
wVoicing
VoicedPlace of Articulation
Labio-velarManner of Articulation
Approximant (Glide)Mouth Position
Start with lips tightly rounded and pushed forward slightly. The back of the tongue is high, close to the soft palate (similar to /u/). Then, quickly relax the lips and tongue as you voice the sound, gliding into the next sound in the word.
How to Make This Sound
Articulation video not available
Watch the Sound
Click the video to watch in fullscreen mode
Example Words
wayMain Example
/weɪ/
we
/wi/
water
/ˈwɔtər/
will
/wɪl/
work
/wɜrk/
why
/waɪ/
what
/wʌt/
when
/wɛn/
always
/ˈɔlweɪz/
queen
/kwin/
Pronunciation Practice
11 words
Speak the words aloud to get instant feedback on your pronunciation
Quick Practice
3-5 essential words
Full Practice
All 11 words
Minimal Pairs
Listen and compare similar sounds
w
wet
/wɛt/
Compare with
W
vet
/vɛt/
w
wine
/waɪn/
Compare with
W
vine
/vaɪn/
w
why
/waɪ/
Compare with
W
Y
/waɪ/
w
west
/wɛst/
Compare with
W
vest
/vɛst/
Tongue Twister
Practice: Consonant
“Why do you cry, Willy? Why do you cry? Why, Willy? Why, Willy? Why, Willy? Why?”
Practice this tongue twister to improve your pronunciation