How these sounds differ
β
Voiced Bilabial Fricative
- Voicing
- voiced
- Place
- bilabial
- Manner
- fricative
- Class
- consonant
- In languages
- 53 / 500
ʍ
Voiceless Bilabial Fricative
- Voicing
- voiceless
- Place
- bilabial
- Manner
- fricative
- Class
- consonant
- In languages
- 14 / 500
Cross-linguistic distribution
53
Languages with β
2
Languages with both
14
Languages with ʍ
2 languages in our database contrast both sounds as distinct phonemes. Languages that have one but not the other tend to merge them into a single phoneme — meaning speakers of those languages often struggle to hear the distinction when learning a language that contrasts them.
Has β, not ʍ (20)
Kawesqar
Kawesqar
NENETS
Uralic
Cheremis
Uralic
Pashto
Indo-European
Chacobo
Pano-Tacanan
Ocaina
Huitotoan
Carib
Cariban
Moxo
Arawakan
Asháninka
Arawakan
Quechua
Quechuan
Mixtec
Otomanguean
Mazateco
Otomanguean
Atayal
Austronesian
Washkuk
Sepik
Gadsup
Nuclear Trans New Guinea
Inuit
Eskimo-Aleut
Digueno
Cochimi-Yuman
Tewa
Kiowa-Tanoan
Luiseno
Uto-Aztecan
AMUZGO
Otomanguean