Pronunciation in Spanish and How to Master B/V
Sometimes, pronunciation in Spanish is shocking for a native English-speaker. For example, did you know that the letters b and v are pronounced identically in Spanish?
The difference between these confusing consonants is purely grammatical. While the Latin b and v were pronounced distinctly, they gradually merged in Spanish. Although Spanish-speakers in different regions pronounce these letters differently, most of them do not differentiate between the sounds. In fact, the sound of the English v such as in the word “voice” does not exist in Spanish.
In terms of pronunciation, the Spanish b and v can be thought of as exactly the same letter. However, it’s useful to note that these letters do create two distinct sounds (hard and soft) depending on the letters or sounds around them. Pay attention to the sounds you hear when listening to native Spanish-speakers. This way, you’ll pick up on the way they pronounce b and v.
The Hard B/V Sound
When b or v is at the beginning of a word in Spanish, it makes a hard sound that is slightly gentler than the English “b” pronunciation.
How to Make the Sound
Press your lips together, then open them slightly and feel the friction as you release the air.
When to Use It
The hard b or v is used after pauses, such as at the beginning of a sentence or when a word is standing alone and begins with either sound. The hard sound is also used when the b or v is next to another consonant.
Example Words
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
| valer | to be worth/to cost | bah-lair |
| veinte | twenty | bane-tay |
| la blusa | blouse | bloo-sah |
| el cambio | change | kam-byoh |
| la sombra | shadow | sohm-brah |
Example Sentences
Vamos a casa. (Let’s go home.) The v is at the beginning of the sentence.
Envolvieron el paquete en papel. (They wrapped the package in paper.) The first v in envolvieron has a hard sound; the second v has a soft sound.
The Soft B/V Sound
This sound is the more common of the two.
How to Make the Sound
To practice, make the English “v” sound. Do you notice that your teeth are touching your lower lip? Now move your bottom lip up to your top lip and make a soft buzzing noise.
When to Use It
When a Spanish b or v appears in the middle of two vowels in the middle of a word, it makes a softer sound. Again, this sound is similar to the English “b,” but with even less force. In fact, your lips should barely touch before enunciating the next sound in the word.
Example Words
| Spanish | English | Pronunciation |
| el centavo | cent | sen-tah-voh |
| el trabajo | job | tra-va-ho |
| el avena | oatmeal | ah-ven-ah |
| estuvieron | They were | es-too-vee-err-own |
Example Sentences
Me gusta mi clase de biología. (I like my biology class.) Note that the b in biología has a soft sound even though it comes at the beginning of the word. There are always exceptions to the rules!
Cantaban en el concierto. (They were singing at the concert.) The b is pronounced because it comes between two vowels.
¡Bravo! (Excellent!) The b uses the hard sound, while the v is soft as it is placed between two vowels.
Es obvio que va a ganar. (It’s obvious that he’s going to win.) In the word obvio, the b gets the hard sound, while the v gets the soft sound. Can you tell why?
Use Trabalenguas to Improve Your B/V Pronunciation in Spanish
Spanish tongue twisters, called trabalenguas, are an entertaining way to improve your pronunciation of B and V. At first, they will be challenging. No te preocupes—your fluency will get better with practice.
Try these traditional trabalenguas. They’ll give you plenty of practice with the hard and soft B/V sounds.
- Juan tuvo un tubo, y el tubo que tuvo se le rompió, y para recuperar el tubo que tuvo, tuvo que comprar un tubo, igual al tubo que tuvo.
- Nadie silba como Silvia, porque si alguien silba como Silvia, es porque Silvia le enseñó a silbar.
- Un ave pensaba mientras que volaba, que sentía el pez mientras que nadaba. Y pensaba un pez mientras que nadaba, que sentía el ave mientras que volaba.
- Buscaba en el bosque Francisco a un vasco bizco tan brusco, que al verlo le dijo un chusco: -¡que vasco bizco tan brusco!
- Si la bruja desbruja al brujo, y el brujo desbruja a la bruja, y el brujo queda desbrujado ¿cómo desbruja el brujo a la bruja?
- Un ave pensaba mientras que volaba, que sentía el pez mientras que nadaba. Y pensaba un pez mientras que nadaba, que sentía el ave mientras que volaba.
Spelling B/V Words Correctly
When spelling out loud in Spanish, the b is sometimes referred to as be alta or be grande (where be is pronounced “bay”) in order to distinguish it from the v, which is called ve baja, ve chiquita, or ve corta (ve is pronounced “bay”). The letter v’s official name became uve a few years ago, according to the Real Academia Española. Uve is the only name for v used in Spain, although it is known and used in parts of Latin America.
Common Misspellings
Even native Spanish speakers sometimes confuse B/V when spelling. Here are a few examples of common misspellings:
- huviera (instead of hubiera, which roughly translates to “would have”)
- bendo (instead of vendo, which means “I sell”)
- baya (instead of vaya, which roughly translates to “go”)
- boy (instead of voy, which means “I go”)
Practice Makes Perfect
Start by listening! Actually hearing a sound that you’re learning to make yourself is super helpful. Engaging in plenty of conversations and listening to short stories in Spanish are surefire ways to improve your pronunciation of the nuanced Spanish b and v sounds.
Check out this video tutorial to guide you through the hard and soft B/V sounds. The first few minutes of this video feature guided practice where you can say the b and v sounds along with the teacher. With time and practice, the sounds will become second nature.
Want to perfect your b and v and learn to speak like a native? Set up a Free Class with Homeschool Spanish Academy today. ¡Vaya!
Want more pronunciation tips? Check these out!
- Poder Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson and PDF - January 20, 2021
- 7 Reading Games in Spanish for Children - January 18, 2021
- Dormir Conjugation: Free Spanish Lesson and PDF - January 17, 2021
Because American English differs in pronunciation vastly from original English, your fonetic vowel representations are confusing.. Better universal vowel representations are as:
a = ah; e = eh; i = ee; o = aw; u = oo (moon) NOT book
valer bah-lair – to clarify the similarity of pronunciation, “eh” is a more universal representation of “e” than “air” or “ay” = bah-lehr
veinte bane-tay – the final “e” = “eh” is better = beh-een-teh
la blusa bloo-sah
el cambio kam-byoh – the “o’ is not as in the English “o” as in “NO” but more as the “aw” in “door” = kahm-byaw *(a = ah)
la sombra sohm-brah – NOT “oh” bu “aw” = sawm-brah
AND:
el centavo sen-tah-voh = sehn-tah-vaw
el trabajo tra-va-ho -= trah-va-haw
el avena ah-ven-ah = ah-veh-nah
estuvieron es-too-vee-err-own = es-too-vee-ehr-awn
Unless more-accurate fonetic representations are used, English speakers from different regions end up with weird Spanish pronunciations.
Thank you for your feedback Gary! You make some good points. We’ll make sure to discuss this with the writing team.