Difference between sounds of "v" and "b"

Question

Can someone tell me when to use the "b" sound for the letter "v" and when it is actually is pronounced as "v". Example: Venga actually sounds like "Benga". Is that correct?? When do I know to say the "v" sound instead of "b" sounds.

Answer 1

They are identical in Spanish. They sound somewhere between the English "B" and "V". Most English speakers think they sound like "B", but it's not quite that hard. Try to say "B" without quite completely closing your lips. Or you can say "V" without letting your teeth touch your lips.

• Good response Kevin :) I personally find it helpful to use the soft B sound when saying Valencia and the V sound when saying Barcelona - FELIZ77 Oct 13, 2010
• Yes that works well. - Birdland Oct 13, 2010
• I stand corrected by Joyce's post and Samdie's I will pronounce them both like Spanisg b - FELIZ77 Oct 14, 2010

Answer 2

Hello and welcome the forum.

In Spanish, both the "v" and the "b" sound like a "b."

Take a look at this article by Lazarus on "How Spanish Letters Sound."

Answer 3

As Kevin and Marianne said, they are identical, you can replace one letter with another any time, and it wouldn't affect the pronunciation at all. However, both have two sounds depending on their position in the speech, and one of those sounds does not exist in English.

Answer 4

The defining characteristics of the 'v' in English is that the teeth meet the lower lip and that it is voiced. There is no such sound in Spanish. The closest approximation to that definition would be the sound of 'f' (teeth meet lower lip but the sound is not voiced [just as it isn't in English]).

and one of those sounds does not exist in English

If you absolutely insist on describing the sounds of Spanish in terms of the sounds of English (which is a very bad idea and, under the best circumstances, can only be expected to teach you how to pronounce Spanish like an English speaker who doesn't know Spanish), the intervocalic v|b is most like a blend of the 'b' and the 'w' of English. However, that's still a dumb explanation. Listen to the sound in Spanish and reproduce it. Forget about English approximations.

• A very hard "W" is another good approximation. - KevinB Oct 13, 2010

Answer 5

Our Spanish instructor, Sergio, here in Madrid was emphatic that the "v" sound "no existe en español."

He gave the examples of "Valencia" and "Barcelona" as starting with the same exact "b" sound.

This creates one of the very few problems native Spanish speakers have with writing their language. Sometimes you will have people writing the "v" as a "b" in words.

In Spanish, the people write what they hear. There is no need for a "spelling" class in grade school. In English, we learn to memorize spellings because there are so many exceptions. This is the one situation where Spanish need to memorize spellings.

Answer 6

i have learned it as a blend of the b-v sound together....

Answer 7

One description I have reads, "b and v are the same; at the beginning of a word or after m or n, like English b without a strong puff of breath; otherwise, intermediate between English b and English v."

This description is from Spark Publishing.

• I agree, but I'm not quite sure what the difference is. Try it and feel where your lips and teeth are, and what your breath is doing. Awfully close, in my opinion. - KevinB Oct 13, 2010

Answer 8

I had downloaded a podcast onto my Ipod, a Spanish language podcast, the first

lesson was on the V and B in Spanish , the teacher gave a list of 20 words with

B and V for us to pronounce , great, but then I realised that there was no way that

I could work out how they were spelled unless I knew the word beforehand.

Each word had a B and a V in it ,so did it start with a V or a B, or vice versa ,

or Biceberza ? Therefore if one is to use this type of learning tool one needs to

have the text with it ,which I guess shows that SD flash cards are the way to go.

• lol, bice berza! - Stardust2212 Oct 14, 2010
• Lol@Biceberza :) Ray just to help: beforehand with an e in the middle of the word (Although the Americans being as they are unconventional in their spelling may disagree lol - FELIZ77 Oct 14, 2010
• also therefore lol - FELIZ77 Oct 14, 2010
• Thank you Feliz77, my guardian angel. - ray76 Oct 14, 2010

Answer 9

You can interchange them (the b and v sounds)