Pronouncing the letter w: How and When to Use in English
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Pronouncing the letter w
In most cases, the letter w is pronounced by forming your lips into a small o shape or a circle .
Wednesday
Wash
White
Sometimes, the w is silent:
- when it is followed by -ho:
Who
Whole
- when it is followed by -r:
Write
Wrong
- in some other words:
Two
Answer
Sword
Which word did you hear? Listen to each clip and select the correct option.
Which word did you hear? Listen to each clip and select the correct option.
when 1
why 2
was 3
You heard the word when , which is the word we use to ask for the time or date of an event and is pronounced with w + silent h. Most words with this letter combination are pronounced the same. Examples: whip ; what .
Here you heard when, which starts with the letter w‑, not hen , which starts with an h‑. A hen is a female chicken. Example: a hen can lay one egg per day.
In this audio you heard why , starting with the letter w‑. Other words that contain the same sound are whisky and wharf . Use why in a question to ask for a reason. Example: why are you so happy?
Here you heard why, not hi . Hi is the word you use to greet a friend. Example: hi Mike, how are you?
In this clip you heard was , the past tense form of the verb to be, which starts and is pronounced with a w‑ . Example: he was in London, but now he is in Edinburgh.
Here you heard was and not us . Us is the object pronoun we use to refer to the subject we. Example: tell us what you think.
Select the correct pronunciation of this word.
Wheel is pronounced:
Select the correct pronunciation of this word.
Wheel is pronounced:
In this audio, you heard heel (starting with the letter h‑) and not wheel (starting with the letter w‑). The heel is the rounded back part of a foot or the part of the shoe that covers it. Examples: I hurt my heel while running; I wear high heels at parties.
You heard wheel . This word starts with the letter w‑, which is pronounced by forming a small o shape or a circle with the lips , followed by a silent -h-. You can hear the same sound in words like which , while and whale . A wheel is one of the circular objects that allow cars to move. Example: cars have four wheels.
Willy is short for the man's name William, but this is not how we pronounce wheel .
Select the correct pronunciation of this word.
Wrong is pronounced:
Select the correct pronunciation of this word.
Wrong is pronounced:
Here you heard long , with an l‑ at the beginning, not wrong . Long is the opposite of short. Examples: long hair is beautiful; it takes a long time.
You heard wrong . We write this word with the letter w‑ at the beginning, but it is not pronounced, because it is followed by the letter ‑r‑. The same happens in words like write , wrap and shipwreck . Wrong means incorrect or not true. Example: you are sending the wrong message.
In this audio you heard won . This is the past tense form of to win and the w‑ at the beginning is pronounced, but this is not how we pronounce wrong .
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