This is the /w/ sound, as in the words: what /wɒt/
work /wɜːk/
and quick /ˈkwɪk/
It is a sound from the Single Consonants group.
The /w/ sound is called the “labio-velar approximant,”
which means that you round your lips
and form a narrow space at the back of your mouth with your tongue.
The /w/ sound is made through the mouth and is Voiced, which means you vibrate your vocal
chords to make the sound.
It is defined by the position of your tongue and lips.
It is an approximant sound which is a sound made by creating a narrow space in your mouth through
which air flows. In this case, it’s both the space between your tongue and the top
of your mouth and the space between your lips.
To produce the /w/ sound, purse your lips
and raise the back of your tongue a bit near
the roof of your mouth and voice out.
/w/
The /w/ sound is usually spelled with the letter ‘w,’ or as ‘w-h’ as in:
where /weə/
But it is also part of the sound made by the letters ‘q-u,’ which is pronounced /kw/
as in: question /'kwestʆən/
Also, in a few words the /w/ sound doesn’t have any letters, like:
one /wʌn/
Here are some words that start with /w/. we /wiː/
world /wɜːld/
whether /ˈweðə/
and wait /weɪt/
Here are some words with the /w/ sound in the middle.
away /əˈweɪ/
towards /təˈwɔːdz/
someone /ˈsʌmwʌn/
and require /rɪˈkwaɪə/
English words don’t normally end with the /w/ sound, at least when they are written
with the phonetic symbols. However, a lot of words do end with the letter ‘w’, but
are spelled phonetically with different symbols.
The vowel /ɔ:/, and the diphthongs /əʊ/ and /aʊ/ end with the same mouth shape as
the /w/ sound. As in the words: "saw"
"rainbow" and "now"
So strictly speaking the /w/ symbol is only used when the /w/ mouth shape transitions
into a vowel, when a vowel transitions into the /w/ mouth shape one of these other symbols
is used.
To see the pronunciation explanation and examples for another sound click on its symbol.
To learn about the groups of sounds, Vowels, Diphthongs, Single Consonants or Consonant
Pairs, click on the links to the left. And to hear just the pronunciation of an individual
symbol, check out our interactive phonetic chart video.
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