The Letter W

In this lesson, we will learn about all the sounds of the letter W. It is the twenty-third and fourth-to-last letter of the English alphabet. Let's begin.

consonant letters

"W" is the twenty-third and fourth-to-last letter of the English alphabet. It is a semi-vowel.

Semi-vowels are sounds between consonants and vowels that are pronounced with some restriction in the vocal tract.

Uppercase Form	W
Lowercase	w
Name	double-u (pronounced /dʌbljuː/)
Common Sounds	/w/, /Ø/

The Letter W: Sounds

"w" has two sounds:

Sound 1: /w/

"w" sounds /w/:

wet /wet/

wind /wɪnd/

web /web/

Sound 2: /Ø/

There are instances in English where "w" is silent:

sword /sɔɹd/

two /ˈtu/

wrist /rɪst/

whole /hoʊl/

The Letter W: Multigraphs

The letter "w" can be combined with other letters:

ow

The digraph "ow" in English can produce two primary sounds:

/aʊ/
/oʊ/

1. The /aʊ/ sound found in words like:

how /haʊ/

brown /bɹaʊn/

town /taʊn/

2. Also, the /oʊ/ sound found in words like:

snow /snoʊ/

show /ʃoʊ/

flow /floʊ/

aw

"aw" typically makes the /ɔː/ sound:

hawk /hɔːk/

claw /klɔː/

raw /rɔː/

ew

"ew" sounds /uː/:

Stewart /ˈstuːərt/

stew /stuː/

newt /nuːt/

wh

"wh" in some words sounds /h/; however, "wh" can also sound /w/, note that lips are rounded pronouncing this letter.

wheel /wiːl/

whisker /ˈwɪskər/

white /waɪt/

Tip!

"w" is also used in interjections as in:

aw /ɔː/

ew /(j)uː/

ow /aʊ/ /oʊ/

The Letter W: Use

"W" can be used as:

The abbreviation of "west" or "western"
The abbreviation of "Watt"

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- Sound 1: /w/
- Sound 2: /Ø/
- ow
- aw
- ew
- wh
The Letter W: Use

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