Minimal pair · Standard Italian
Italian /f/ vs /v/Fino or vino?
Learn to hear the difference between f and v in Italian words.
Practice these sounds/f/
Unvoiced lip-and-teeth friction
Air passes between the lower lip and upper teeth. Listen to the first sound.
As infino
/v/
Voiced lip-and-teeth friction
A continuous, voiced consonant. Compare it with the other beginning in the pair.
As invino
WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
A small change.
A different word.
Fino/vino, faro/varo and finto/vinto share their remaining sounds. Concentrate on the word beginning rather than its meaning.
Listen for the target sound in each word.
A common trap
The words can have additional meanings beyond the short gloss shown here. The glossary is a cue to identity, not a complete dictionary definition.
Sound examples
Tap to hear each wordfino
/ˈfino/fine; thinfinto
/ˈfinto/fake; pretendedfaro
/ˈfaro/lighthousefame
/ˈfame/hungerfumo
/ˈfumo/smokevino
/ˈvino/winevinto
/ˈvinto/won; defeatedvaso
/ˈvazo/vasevoce
/ˈvotʃe/voiceviso
/ˈvizo/face10 words. Words stay hidden during practice unless you choose to reveal them.