F and V

10 Apr 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:53

In this instructional excerpt, Hadar Shemesh introduces the English labiodental fricatives represented by the letters F and V. She defines fricatives as sounds produced by a gradual release of airflow through a narrow constriction, specifically between the lower lip and upper teeth. She contrasts the voiceless /f/ with the voiced /v/, noting that some learners mistakenly produce them as oral stops, turning "very" into something that sounds like "berry." She emphasizes the importance of the manner of articulation to avoid such misperceptions and provides practical pronunciation guidance.

Chapters

What sounds come out through the combination of lips and teeth? Fricative. Fricative is a sound that comes out gradually, that is partially stopped and then it comes out. And here we have two consonants, right? Labiodental, bottom lip, top teeth. This is the voiceless versus voiced. Some people might pronounce it as an oral stop. 'berry,' 'berry,' 'berry.' Just not letting it flow out for long enough, right? And then it's going to sound a little differently. People who are not used to the sound might think that you're just pronouncing a 'b' sound. 'Berry,' 'berry,' 'berry.' So it's going to sound to them like 'berry' instead of 'very.' So pay attention to the manner of articulation, because the manner of articulation is really important as well.