V or W? Vet & wet

Objective & content

This Sound Check video (about 3 minutes 30) fixes one mix-up: v and w swap places, in both directions. Some say vest for west; others say wet for vet. Freya (British) and Cody (American) show the two mouth shapes. For v, put the top teeth lightly on the bottom lip and add voice: it buzzes. For w, round the lips like blowing out a candle; no teeth touch anything. Students repeat vet, vest, wet and west, then one sentence: The vet wore a vest and went west. Then they play a three-round game: which word did you hear?

Pedagogical guide

The mix-up depends on the first language. German and Polish speakers say w as v, because their letter w is a v sound. French, Italian and Portuguese learners often read the letter w as v but can already make the English w. Spanish learners say v with two lips, so it sounds like w. Dutch learners fall in both directions. One test for all: do the teeth touch the lip? Yes is v. No is w. Both hosts say these sounds the same way: there is no British or American difference to explain here. The game tests listening only, so check the speaking yourself.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Write vet and wet on the board. Students say both. Do the teeth touch the lip?
2. Watch (5 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when the hosts say "Try it with us", "Say them with me" and "Now a sentence, with me".
3. Game (3 min). Play the game again. Pause each time a host says "Listen..." and the word, before the other host gives the answer. The class votes.
4. After (3 min). In pairs, one student says vest or west, vow or wow. The partner points to the right word on the board.

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The example words are at about A1+ level. Students do not need phonetic symbols.

Assessment & extensions

Say vet, wet, west and vest in random order. Students touch the top teeth to the lip for v and make a round mouth for w.