Language
English
Unit
Consonants
IPA
/w/
Practice words
5

Sample pronunciation audio — Open the full phoneme overview

Start with one sample audio file for approximants - /w/.

Quick tip

Approximants are made with a narrow gap, but not enough to cause friction.

Letters and IPA

Letters

w (we)

/w/

Practice words

  • we

  • water

  • window

  • week

  • white

Minimal pairs

How to produce this sound

Round your lips and glide quickly into the next vowel without fully closing the mouth.

Common mix-ups

Closest comparison

we, water, win, window, sweet

Hear "we" pronounced by English natives

Listen to native speakers and see real-world usage on these reference sites. Each link opens in a new tab.

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