Minimal pair · French (France)
French /v/ vs /f//v/ / /f/
Learn to hear the difference between v and f in French words.
Practice these sounds/v/
Voiced lip-and-teeth friction
A continuous, voiced consonant. Compare it with the other beginning in the pair.
As invin
/f/
Unvoiced lip-and-teeth friction
Air passes between the lower lip and upper teeth. Listen to the first sound.
As infin
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Vin/fin, veau/faux and vous/fou contrast initial /v/ with /f/. Both use a narrow opening between the lower lip and upper teeth.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
These categories differ in voicing, but real recordings contain several acoustic cues. Do not use the following vowel or the speaker identity as an answer shortcut.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordvin
/vɛ̃/wineveau
/vo/calf; vealvous
/vu/you, formal or pluralvu
/vy/seenvain
/vɛ̃/vain; futileville
/vil/town; cityvite
/vit/quicklyfin
/fɛ̃/endfaux
/fo/falsefou
/fu/mad; crazyfée
/fe/fairyfeu
/fø/firefaim
/fɛ̃/hungerforte
/fɔʁt/strong, feminine14 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.