The sound /w/ can be tricky to pronounce especially when it's at the beginning of a word. Quite a few students pronounce it like /g/. It's a good idea to have a recording device at hand, a mobile phone, for example, to check how you sound while doing the exercises.
How to pronounce the sound /w/
Section one: spotting the problem
First of all, let's take a quick look at the problem. Listen to these words:
- good/gʊd/
- gun/gʌn/
- give/gɪv/
What sound does each one start with? Yes, a /g/. Just put your index finger on your Adam's apple and say these words again. You'll feel an impulse under your finger when the /g/ sounds. So far so good! Now, check out these words and phrases. Can you hear any difference?
- well/wel/
- would/wʊd/
- win/wɪn/
- one/wʌn/
- Would you like a beer?
- How would you like
- your steak, sir?
I often hear my students say /gʊd jə lɑɪk/ for “Would you like?”. They find it difficult to say the /w/ in 'would' /wʊd/ properly and they end up saying a /g/, which makes it sound like 'good' /gʊd/. You may also find this difficult. If so, here are some tips.
Note: Remember that the 'l' in 'would' is always silent.
Section two: correcting the problem
Now you'll need a mirror and a drinking straw.
Stand in front of the mirror. Put the straw between your lips. Slowly pull out the straw but don't move your lips. What do you see in the mirror? Yes, a nice round hole between your lips, the shape of a tiny 'o'. Great! That's exactly what we wanted.
Now let's just add a little sound to the shape. Form the hole with your lips again and say /w/. There's an important trick here: shape your lips before making any sound, and then feel that the sound /w/ begins between the lips and not in your throat. Don't worry if you find this difficult at first, just give it a go. This way, you will get it right like this: /w/. There's no rush. Practice slowly.
Now, let's try out some common words that start with /w/. Listen to the way I say them and after the beep, repeat them after me. Ready? Here we go!
- well/wel
- one/wʌn/
- would/wʊd/
- win/wɪn/
- wood/wʊd/
- why/wɑɪ/
- woman/wʊmən/
- wound/wu:nd/
How did you get on? I'm sure you sound just fine! It can get a little tricky, though, when we put these words next to certain other vowels and consonants. But let's try a few out and see how we go.
Section three: practice
Listen to these word combinations. I'm going to read them again one by one and, after the beep, repeat them after me.
- would you
- I would
- made of wood
- dry wood
- one wolf
- warm winds
- windy winter
Good job! How did it feel? The important thing here is to make sure that you're making the /w/ sound rather than /g/. If you're not quite sure yet, go back and try it again slower. Remember: form a hole between your lips and start the sound there. It will be a /w/, and not a /g/, I guarantee it!
Ready for some sentences? Here we go:
- Would you like a coffee?
- I would love to see it.
- Where would you like to sit?
- It's made of wood.
- Try some plywood
- Woodstock was a rock festival. Dry wood is good.
Just another side note: “would you” in spoken language is usually merged into /'wʊdʒn/, I'm sure you've noticed this along the way. Keep practising until you feel confident with these phrases.
Section four: how to memorize
It's a good idea to memorize some target vocabulary. It'll help you keep what you've learned in each unit alive, and help you get rid of any bad pronunciation habits. If you like, try learning these word combinations by heart. I chose them because they often turn up in real texts or conversations:
- well done
- one kilo
- a head wound
- a wooden door
- a lone wolf
- a woollen scarf
- a woman doctor
Look out for other common word combinations and vocabulary items in authentic texts and monolingual English dictionaries for further practice.