This page is a drill, not a lecture: it exists so you can train your ear and mouth on the three sounds English speakers most reliably get wrong in Afrikaans — the ones spelled w, v, and f. The trap is that the letters w and v map onto roughly the opposite sounds from what an English reader expects, and that v and f sound identical. For the consonant overview and how these letters pattern across the language, see the w/v/f consonants; here we just contrast pairs until the distinction is automatic.
The two facts to fix in your head
Everything below follows from two sound values:
- The letter w is pronounced like an English v — a voiced [v], teeth on lower lip.
- The letters v and f are both pronounced like an English f — a voiceless [f], also teeth on lower lip.
So the orthography splits one sound (the [f] sound) across two letters (v and f), while the letter w carries the [v] sound on its own.
| Letter | Afrikaans sound | Sounds like English… | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| w | [v] (voiced) | v in van | water [ˈvɑːtər] |
| v | [f] (voiceless) | f in fan | vis [fəs] |
| f | [f] (voiceless) | f in fan | fout [fəʊt] |
Drill 1 — w against v (the real minimal pairs)
These pairs differ only in the first sound: w = [v] versus v = [f]. This is the contrast that actually carries meaning, because [v] and [f] are different sounds. Say each pair slowly, then at speed. Feel your vocal cords buzz on the w word and go silent on the v word; the lip-and-teeth position is the same for both.
| w = [v] (voiced) | v = [f] (voiceless) | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| was [vas] | vas [fas] | was / washed — fast, firm |
| wel [vɛl] | vel [fɛl] | indeed, well — skin |
| wis [vəs] | vis [fəs] | knew (archaic) — fish |
| wou [vəʊ] | vou [fəʊ] | wanted — fold |
| weer [veːr] | veer [feːr] | weather, again — feather, spring |
| wond [vɔnt] | vond (in vondeling) | wound — found-element |
Ek was die vis voordat ek dit kook.
I wash the fish before I cook it.
Die wond moet vas toegebind word.
The wound must be bound up firmly.
Die weer is sleg; trek 'n veer-jas aan.
The weather is bad; put on a feather jacket.
Notice in that first sentence how was [vas] (wash) and vis [fəs] (fish) live side by side — one voiced, one voiceless. If your was comes out as English "wass" with rounded lips, an Afrikaans listener may not parse it at all.
Drill 2 — the v/f homophones (same sound, different spelling)
Here is the part competitors leave out. Because v and f are both [f], words spelled with them can be exact homophones — identical in sound, distinguished only in writing. There is no pronunciation drill that separates them, because there is nothing to separate; the only skill is spelling them correctly (covered at v versus f). Train yourself to hear them as the same so you don't waste effort inventing a contrast that isn't there.
| Spelled with v | Spelled with f | Both [f] |
|---|---|---|
| vou (fold) | fout (mistake) | same opening sound |
| ver (far) | fees (festival) | same opening sound |
| vas (firm) | fas (in fasade) | same opening sound |
| vry (free) | frase (phrase) | same opening sound |
Dit is nie ver na die fees nie.
It isn't far to the festival.
Ek het 'n fout gemaak met die vou.
I made a mistake with the fold.
The takeaway: v and f never form a pronunciation minimal pair, only a spelling one. The genuine spoken contrast is always w versus the v/f group.
Drill 3 — the full three-way contrast
Now stack all three letters in near-minimal triples so your mouth learns to flip between the two real sounds — [v] for w, [f] for v and f — on demand. This three-way drill is the one most courses skip, and it's the one that actually fixes the habit.
| w = [v] | v = [f] | f = [f] |
|---|---|---|
| wel (well) | vel (skin) | fel (fierce) |
| waar (true/where) | vaar (sail) | faal (fail) |
| wee (woe) | vee (livestock) | fee (fairy) |
In wel / vel / fel, the first word is voiced [v] and the other two are identical voiceless [f]. The same holds for wee / vee / fee: wee opens with [v], while vee and fee both open with the very same [f] — there is no spoken difference between the v-word and the f-word, only a spelling one.
Die wyn is fyn en die geur is wel aangenaam.
The wine is fine and the aroma is indeed pleasant.
Dit was 'n felle storm, maar ons is wel veilig.
It was a fierce storm, but we are indeed safe.
Mouth and ear: how to actually make the sounds
For all three letters your teeth touch your lower lip — none of them is the rounded, lip-only English "w". The only thing you vary is voicing:
- For w gently on the lower lip and let the voice buzz (hum) through the friction. It's the English "v" of very.
- For v and f lip-and-teeth position, but no buzz — just air. It's the English "f" of ferry.
The two errors English speakers make are mirror images. First, a rounded English "w" for the letter w — water must not sound like English "wotter"; it's closer to "vahter". Second, an English "v" (voiced) for the letter v — vis (fish) must not be "viz"; it's "fiss". Round-lipping the w and voicing the v are the two habits this whole page is built to break.
Wanneer waai die wind weer?
When will the wind blow again?
Vyf vinnige voëls vlieg verby.
Five quick birds fly past.
That last tongue-twister is pure v and f in Vyf vinnige voëls vlieg verby is voiceless. Say it with crisp, airy starts and no buzzing.
Common mistakes
❌ water said as English 'wotter' (rounded w)
Incorrect — Afrikaans w is [v]; bite the lip and voice it: 'vahter'.
✅ water said as 'vahter' [ˈvɑːtər]
water — w pronounced like an English v.
❌ vis said as English 'viz' (voiced v)
Incorrect — Afrikaans v is [f]; no buzz: 'fiss'.
✅ vis said as 'fiss' [fəs]
fish — v pronounced like an English f.
❌ trying to hear a sound difference between vou and fout
Incorrect — v and f are both [f]; they differ only in spelling, not sound.
✅ vou and fout both open with [f]
fold and mistake — same opening sound, different letters.
❌ was (wash) and vas (firm) pronounced the same
Incorrect — these are a true minimal pair: was is [v], vas is [f].
✅ was [vas] (voiced) vs vas [fas] (voiceless)
wash vs firm — a real w/v minimal pair.
Key takeaways
- w = [v] (voiced, like English v); v and f = [f] (voiceless, like English f). All three use teeth-on-lip — none is a rounded English "w".
- The only genuine spoken contrast is w versus the v/f pair: was [vas] versus vas [fas].
- v and f are homophones — they form spelling pairs, never pronunciation pairs. See v versus f.
- Drill the three-way set (wel / vel / fel) to break the two transfer habits: rounded w and voiced v.
- Spelling keeps v and f apart even though sound does not — so learn the spelling separately from the sound.
Now practice Afrikaans
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Afrikaans→Related Topics
- Afrikaans Pronunciation: OverviewA1 — A map of the Afrikaans sound system for English speakers — the guttural g, the v/w/f trap, vowel length, and the diacritics — and what to unlearn first.
- W, V and F: The Labial ConsonantsA1 — Afrikaans w sounds like an English v, while v and f are both pronounced f — a systematic swap that catches every English speaker.
- Final Consonant DevoicingB1 — Voiced stops and fricatives become voiceless at the end of a word in Afrikaans, so hand is pronounced 'hant' — but the voiced sound resurfaces when an ending is added (hande).
- V vs F: A Homophone TrapA2 — v and f both sound like English f in Afrikaans, so the spelling can't be heard — but the choice is etymological, and English cognates often predict it.
- Homophones Reference: A Spelling Survival GuideB2 — One consolidated study sheet of the Afrikaans homophone traps — sound-identical, spelling-distinct pairs across the v/f, ei/y, circumflex and accent contrasts — with meanings and a memory hook for each.