/ˈaɪ.pə/

ʍ vs β

Voiceless Bilabial Fricative vs Voiced Bilabial Fricative

How these sounds differ

ʍ
Voiceless Bilabial Fricative
Voicing
voiceless
Place
bilabial
Manner
fricative
Class
consonant
In languages
14 / 500
Full details →
β
Voiced Bilabial Fricative
Voicing
voiced
Place
bilabial
Manner
fricative
Class
consonant
In languages
53 / 500
Full details →

Cross-linguistic distribution

14
Languages with ʍ
2
Languages with both
53
Languages with β

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 ʍ, not β (12)

SEDANG Austroasiatic Yao Hmong-Mien Lakkia Tai-Kadai Iai Austronesian Hopi Uto-Aztecan Otomi Otomanguean Mazahua Otomanguean AHTNA Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit NYAH KUR Austroasiatic LAI Sino-Tibetan IRANXE Language isolate KLAMATH Language isolate

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