vː vs f

Voiced Labiodental Fricative vs Voiceless Labiodental Fricative

How these sounds differ

vː

Voiced Labiodental Fricative

Voicing: voiced
Place: labiodental
Manner: fricative
Class: consonant
In languages: 3 / 500

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Voiceless Labiodental Fricative

Voicing: voiceless
Place: labiodental
Manner: fricative
Class: consonant
In languages: 245 / 500

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Cross-linguistic distribution

Languages with vː

Languages with both

245

Languages with f

3 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 f, not vː (20)

Zoque Mixe-Zoque Tunica Language isolate Aleut Eskimo-Aleut Telefol Nuclear Trans New Guinea Asmat Nuclear Trans New Guinea Sentani Sentanic Kunjen Pama-Nyungan Adzera Austronesian Iai Austronesian Malagasy Austronesian Chamorro Austronesian Yay Tai-Kadai Lakkia Tai-Kadai Lahu Sino-Tibetan Yao Hmong-Mien Hakka Chinese Sino-Tibetan Kharia Austroasiatic Burushaski Language isolate Kabardian Abkhaz-Adyge Chontal Mayan