How to Teach V Sound: Articulation Activities, and Word Lists for Effective Speech Therapy

To teach the V sound, have the child rest the top teeth gently on the bottom lip — exactly like the F sound — but turn the voice on so it buzzes: a long “vvvv,” like a bee or a car engine. The easiest trick is to have the child say a long “ffff,” then switch the voice on to feel it become “vvvv,” touching the throat to feel the buzz. Practice in order: the sound alone, then syllables (va, ve, vo), then words (van, vase, love), then phrases and sentences. The /v/ sound is a voiced labiodental fricative and is one of the later sounds to develop, often not mastered until age 4 to 5 (If your child isn’t using the /v/ sound by age 5, it’s worth checking in with a speech-language pathologist). If your child says “b” instead (“berry” for “very”), the fix is showing them to bite the lip and let the air flow, rather than popping the lips together.

The “v” sound is a voiced labiodental fricative, which means that it is produced by forcing air through a narrow channel between the lower lip (labial) and the upper teeth (dental) while simultaneously vibrating the vocal cords. This creates a friction noise that is similar to the “f” sound but with the addition of a buzzing or humming sensation in the throat.

To produce the “v” sound, you need to place your lower lip gently against your upper teeth and then push air through the small gap between them while simultaneously narrowing the gap with your lips and allowing your vocal cords to vibrate. This creates a continuous friction noise that is characterized by a buzzing or humming sound. You can try producing this sound by saying the word “very” or “love” and paying attention to the way your lips, breath, and vocal cords work together to create the sound. In phonetics, this sound is represented by the symbol /v/. It is also sometimes referred to as the “voiced labiodental fricative.”

Initial V Words (words that start with V)

1-syllable: vain, van, vase, vast, veal, veil, vent, verse, vest, vet, vibe, view, vine, voice, vote, vow

2-syllable: vacant, vacuum, valley, value, vampire, vanish, velcro, velvet, vendor, venom, vessel, vested, veto, victim, village, vintage, viper, virus, vision, visit, vivid, vocal, vodka, volume, voter, voucher, vowel, voyage

3-syllable: vacation, valentine, vanilla, vegetable, vehicle, video, violet, violin, vitamin, volcano

Medial V Words (V sound in the middle)

2-syllable: avoid, beaver, clever, cover, devil, diver, driver, ever, favor, fever, flavor, gravy, heaven, level, lever, liver, movie, never, over, oven, river, savor, seven, shaver, silver, travel

3-syllable: adventure, average, beverage, everything, november, provider, universe

Final V Words (words that end with the V sound)

1-syllable: brave, cave, dive, dove, drive, five, gave, give, glove, grave, have, hive, leave, live, love, move, pave, save, shave, stove, wave, weave, wove

2-syllable: active, beehive, believe, olive, receive, remove

Here are few tips you can follow to teach the “V” sound:

Demonstrate the sound: Start by demonstrating the “V” sound for your child. Make the sound and have your child watch your lips and mouth movements. Explain that the sound is made by placing the top teeth on the bottom lip and vibrating the vocal cords.

Visual Cue: Show the child how to place their upper teeth on their lower lip and then blow air out while making a voiced sound. You can use a mirror to help the child see how their lips and teeth are positioned. You can also use a visual cue such as a picture or flashcard of a “V” to help your child remember the sound.

Understand the sound: Help your child understand that the “V” sound is a voiced consonant made by placing the top teeth on the bottom lip and vibrating the vocal cords.

Practice Tongue Placement: Show your child how to keep their tongue relaxed and behind their top teeth while making the “V” sound. You can make it more fun by having them imitate animal sounds, such as a purring cat or a buzzing bee, while using the “V” sound.

Practice in Isolation: Practice in Isolation: Once your child can make the sound easily, have them practice the “V” sound on its own without any other sounds.

Add Syllables: After your child has mastered the “V” sound in isolation, have them practice using it in different syllables, such as “va,” “ve,” and “vo.” You can make it more fun by having them say silly words like “vegetable,” “vanilla,” and “volcano.”

Practice in Words: Once your child has mastered the “V” sound in syllables, have them practice using it in different words such as “van,” “vase,” and “velvet.” Use our free v sound words memory games to teach v Initial words, v medial words & v final words.

Practice in Phrases: After your child has mastered the “V” sound in words, have them practice using it in phrases like “big van,” “red vase,” and “soft velvet.”

Practice in Sentences: Finally, have your child practice using the “V” sound in different sentences such as “I see a big van,” “The vase is on the table,” and “I love soft velvet.”

Practice Everywhere: Practice Everywhere: Encourage your child to practice the “V” sound in different contexts — during playtime, mealtime, or while reading books together.

Free V interactive audio flashcards featuring words with the “V” sound words can be a useful tool for improving pronunciation and vocabulary.