Learning Letter V and its /v/ Sound

The letter V consonant sound is /v/. Slashes denote the sound it makes and not the name of the letter which is "Vee". The /v/ sound can be found in words such as "VAN" or "SAVE".

To make the /v/ sound, your lips part slightly, and your top teeth are touching your bottom lips. Letter V is a voiced sound meaning that your vocal cords vibrate to make the /vvv/ sound. Try to make the /v/ sound and note where the sound comes from - your throat.

Compare this to the letter F and its /f/ sound. The /f/ sound takes the same mouth position as the /v/ sound; however, the major difference is that /f/ is an unvoiced sound - no vibration is made in your vocal cords. With the /f/ sound, you hold the same mouth position - top teeth touch lower lips - and air is pushed through the opening of the mouth to make the /fff/ sound. Sort of like blowing some air.

With the /v/ sound, some air is also pushed through the opening of the mouth, but here you also make the /v/ sound through your vocal cords. Say /vvv/.

Try this: place your fingers on your throat, around the Adam's apple area. Now make the /v/ sound, what do you notice? Do you feel the movement and vibration made by your throat? Now make the /f/ sound, what do you notice? Probably nothing, as your vocal cords are not used in making the /f/ sound.

Example words:

VAN - /v/ /a/ /n/

VAST - /v/ /a/ /s/ /t/

Learning Activity for /v/

• Print the letter V on a piece of paper
• Print the following words on a piece of paper for the following activities:
  • VAN
  • VET
  • VEST
  • WAVE
  • VEAL
  • VANILLA

1. Show the letter V to your child and demonstrate how to make the voiced /v/ sound. Say "Vvvvv".
2. Have your child practice saying the /v/ sound several times.
3. Work on the /v/ sound using the word list provided above.
4. Phoneme identification activity: ask your child to identify and say all the /v/ sound in each of the above words. Feel free to add in your own words as well.
5. Phoneme substitution activity:
   1. If we remove /v/ sound from VAN, and put in a /c/, what is it now? (CAN)
   2. Get rid of the /v/ sound in VET and put in a /n/ sound, what word is it? (NET)
   3. Remove the /w/ sound from WAVE and put in a /s/, what is it? (SAVE)
   4. How about if we put in a /c/ sound instead of the /s/ sound, what is it now? (CAVE)
6. Work on the letter V worksheet provided below.

Letter V Worksheets

 

   

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