One of the 40 sounds Nunzio listens for. When you read a sentence aloud, the app scores every single sound in it on your phone — this page is what he knows about this one: what tends to come out in its place, and what to do about it.
Un-round your lips and touch your top teeth to your bottom lip, letting voiced air buzz through.
“Too much kissing! Un-pucker, bello. Top teeth rest on the bottom lip, gentle, and buzz like a scooter.”Nunzio, when he hears it
Do not close both lips; rest your top teeth on your bottom lip and let voiced air flow continuously.
“You pop like a cork when you should buzz like a bee! Teeth on the bottom lip, air flowing, no closing!”Nunzio, when he hears it
Keep the voicing on as your teeth rest on your lip at the end of the word — buzz, do not just blow.
“Teeth on lip, sì — but where is the buzz?! Keep the motor running to the end, bello — vvv, not a puff of air!”Nunzio, when he hears it
In the app, this sound is put under pressure in Everyday English and The W & V Waltz — whole sentences built so it cannot hide.
The classic mix-ups involving this sound, one page per pair: van vs this, van vs water, van vs bed, van vs fun.
People often say “v” when a word actually wants “th” as in this, “w” as in water, “b” as in bed — each of those pages shows the way back.
Reading about a sound is one thing. Hearing which ones you miss is another.
Nunzio records you reading a sentence, scores every sound in it on your phone — nothing is uploaded — and tells you the one thing worth fixing. Nunzio — Accent Coach is coming to the App Store and Google Play.