Mastering the American Accent » The /w/ Sound

The /w/ Sound

The question is not whether we will die, but how we will live.
Joan Borysenko

The /w/ sound requires the lips to be fully rounded and pushed forward a bit as in the illustration below. Many non-native speakers confuse the /v/ and the /w/ sounds. To avoid this mistake, make sure your bottom lip is not touching your upper teeth when you are saying the /w/. Let’s first practice the /w/ to make sure you are pronouncing it correctly. Then we will practice /v/ and /w/ together.

Words for Practice

  1. always
  2. wish
  3. flower
  4. work
  5. well
  6. window
  7. wife
  8. swim

The /kw/ Sound

Words that are spelled with qu are pronounced as /kw/.

  1. quick
  2. question
  3. require
  4. quiet
  5. quality
  6. frequent

Word Pairs for Practice

  1. white wine
  2. always working
  3. quick wedding
  4. powerful wind
  5. weak witness
  6. wonderful weekend
  7. anywhere you wish
  8. twenty flowers
  9. windshield wiper
  10. frequent question

Practice Dialogue

Winter Weather

a. I wonder when the weather will get warmer.
b. Why are you always whining about the weather?
a. It’s always so wet and windy. I would love to go for a quick swim or a walk in the woods.
b. Well, wait a few weeks and it won’t be so wet and windy.
a. I wish you were right, but in a few weeks it will still be winter.
b. OK then, we’ll have to move west. Maybe to Hollywood, where the weather is warmer.
a. Wow, what a wonderful idea. But wait! Where will we work?
b. We won’t have to worry about work once we get there. Hollywood will welcome us. We’ll become wealthy movie stars.
a. Wake up and stop your wishful thinking.

Song Lyrics for Practice

“After You Get What You Want You Don’t Want It”

After you get what you want, you don't want it
If I gave you the moon, you'd grow tired of it soon

You’re like a baby
You want what you want when you want it
But after you are presented
With what you want, you're discontented

You’re always wishing and wanting for something
When you get what you want
You don’t want what you get

And tho’ I sit upon your knee
You'll grow tired of me
’Cause after you get what you want
You don’t want what you wanted at all

Excerpt from a song by Irving Berlin

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