/ˈaɪ.pə/
v is the IPA symbol for the Voiced Labiodental Fricative, a voiced labiodental fricative consonant. It appears in 131 of 500 languages (26% cross-linguistic frequency).
v

Voiced Labiodental Fricative

Consonant · voiced

Audio via Wikimedia Commons

Languages using this sound 131 / 500
Cross-linguistic frequency 26%

Moderately common across languages.

Type consonant

Voiced/voiceless pair

f
Voiceless Labiodental Fricative
voiceless
 Compare v vs f →

Articulation

Every speech sound is defined by three properties: its class (consonant, vowel, or tone), its place of articulation (where in the vocal tract it is formed — lips, teeth, palate, etc.), its manner (how airflow is controlled — stopped, funneled into a fricative, channeled through the nose), and its voicing (whether the vocal cords vibrate during production).

Class
Consonant
Voicing
Voiced
Place
Labiodental
Manner
Fricative

Languages using this sound

This sound appears in 131 of the 500 languages in our database. Languages that use a sound only in loanwords or in rare, specialized contexts are marked as marginal (*) — the sound exists but is not a core part of the phonological system. Click any language to view its full sound inventory.

Senoufo, Cebaara* Angas Margi Moroccan Arabic Maltese Kpelle Dagbani Ga Beembe Gbeya Logbara Breton Persian North Azerbaijani Yakut Darkhat Aghem AIZI ALLADIAN AMO Bobo BAI* KOHUMONO BETE Bisa Berom BRAO LAI HMONG TIDDIM CHIN Dan DAHALO Doayo RUKAI YUPIK EWONDO Fe'efe'fe PO-AI GWARI GELAO Aché KOLOKUMA IJO ISOKO IVATAN KERA* Lue KURDISH KPAN KORYAK LELEMI

Related sounds

h Voiceless Glottal Fricative ʝ Voiced Palato-Alveolar Fricative x Voiceless Velar Fricative xʷ Voiceless Velar Fricative x͈ Voiceless Velar Fricative x͈ʷ Voiceless Velar Fricative ħ Voiceless Uvular Fricative χ Voiceless Uvular Fricative