American English sound
/w/: how to pronounce “w” in we, away and quick
/w/ is made by rounding the lips, as for “oo”, and gliding straight into the next vowel. Nothing touches: no teeth, no tongue.
Many learners swap it with /v/ (west becomes vest), or drop it before “oo” sounds (woman becomes “ooman”). It also hides in spelling: quick, queen and one all have a /w/.
/w/
the “w” sound
How to make the sound
- 1Round your lips into a small circle, as for “oo”.
- 2Raise the back of your tongue a little.
- 3Glide quickly from the rounded lips into the next vowel.
- 4Keep your teeth away from your lip: that would make a /v/.
- Tongue
- back-velar
- Lips
- rounded
- Voice
- voiced
Hear it in words
Tap a word to hear it.
At the start
In the middle
At the end
/w/ is never the last sound of a word: the w in now and show is part of the vowel.
How it's spelled
- w: we, away, window
- wh: what, where, which
- u after q / g: quick, queen, language
- o in one, once: one, once
- silent w: write, two, answer
Common mistakes
Using /v/: “vest” for west
German, Russian and Hindi speakers often touch the teeth. Round the lips instead; nothing touches.
Dropping it before “oo”
Woman, wood and would start with /w/. Round the lips a little more before the vowel.
Pronouncing silent w
Write, wrong, two, answer and sword have no w sound.
Who finds /w/ hard
Speakers of these languages often replace it with a sound from their own language. Linked languages have their own accent traps page.
Often say /v/ instead
German, Hindi, Polish, Russian, Turkish
Minimal pairs
Each pair differs by one sound. If both words sound the same when you say them, practice this pair.
Try it
“William wore a warm wool sweater on the way to work.”
Record a sentence and get a score for every sound, /w/ included. Free, no account.
Questions
Is wh pronounced differently from w?
For almost all Americans today, no: which and witch, whale and wail sound the same. An older “hw” pronunciation survives in a few regions.
Why does “one” start with a w sound?
One and once gained a /w/ in late Middle English speech, but the spelling never changed. Only, alone and atone kept the old pronunciation without w.