Spanish Spelling With B and V: Word List, Verbs, and Pronunciation With Tongue Twisters (2024)

How would you pronounce the following Spanish words: barón (baron) and varón (male)?

Did you make them sound different?

Well, you shouldn’t have.

Don’t worry, you’re not alone! English speakers tend to have problems with the pronunciation of the Spanish b and v. First, because these two letters have the same sound in Spanish. Second, because depending on their position in a word, this sound may change.

Mastering the usage of b and v in Spanish will get you closer to the native pronunciation.

Let me help you today with these Spanish sounds.

I will show you how to pronounce them according to their position, and you’ll hear Spanish words pronounced to be able to practice yourself.

Ready?

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Let’s go!

Table of Contents:

• What’s the Difference Between B and V in Spanish?
• B and V – Letter Names
• Pronunciation of B and V
• B and V – Common hom*ophones
• List of B and V Verbs
• Practice B vs V in Spanish

What’s the Difference Between B and V in Spanish?

None—they’re identical!

According to this tweet by the Royal Spanish Academy, the letters b and v are pronounced identically (with a bilabial [b] sound) in Spanish. The pronunciation of the v as labiodental (supporting the front upper teeth on the lower lip) is not typical of this language.

The Panhispanic Dictionary of Doubt clarifies the issue even more. These two letters used to have different sounds in Latin. Spanish maintained this orthographical distinction but simplified the pronunciation. If you read texts in medieval Spanish, you’ll notice lots of confusion between the two spellings, which proves the already nonexistent difference in pronunciation.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, orthography and grammar manuals started to recommend the pronunciation of the v as labiodental, as French and English were of much influence at that time, but in 1911 the Academy stopped explicitly recommending the distinction.

Now there is no oral difference between words such as baca and vaca (roof rack and cow), bello and vello (beautiful and body hair), and sabia or savia (sage and sap).

If you listen to Spanish people from Mallorca, Valencia, and Catalunya, you hear the distinction due to the influence of their regional languages. Also, in some parts of America, a similar phenomenon occurs due to the influence of the indigenous languages.

B and V – Letter Names

What happens if you want to spell a word to another person to clarify if it’s written with v or b? Do these letters have the same name?

According to RAE, the correct name for the letter b in Spanish is be pronounced as /vay/ and the letter v in Spanish alphabet is named uve pronounced as /oo-vay/.

The Spanish bank BBVA is pronounced as /be-be-uve-a/.

However, in Latin America these letters are called respectively be and ve which, as you might guess, leads to identical pronunciation. So to avoid confusion, the Spanish speakers in Latin America tend to add specific adjectives to distinguish them.

The letter v can be named:

• ve corta (short)
• ve chica (small)
• ve chiquita (very small)
• ve pequeña (small)
• ve baja (short)
• ve de vaca (vaca means cow, this name gives an example of the common word spelled with this letter)

The letter b is often called:

• be larga (long)
• be grande (big)
• be alta (tall)
• be de burro (burro means donkey, this name gives an example of the common word spelled with this letter)

Pronunciation of B and V

Pronunciation of some Spanish letters vary according to their position in a word. The different possible pronunciations are called allophones.

The letters b and v in Spanish have two allophones meaning that there are two ways to pronounce them according to their position. They can be pronounced as [b] or [β],

Plosive/Hard b and v – [b]

B and V are pronounced as [b] if

1. the word that starts with the letter b or v is spoken in isolation

2. it is in a group of words but pronounced after a pause

3. it is pronounced after a nasal consonant m or n

For example:

• bandera [‘ban.de.ra] – flag
• ambos [‘am.bos] – both
• envía [‘em.bía] – sends

Approximant/Soft b and v – [β]

Letters b and v are always pronounced as [β] if they are between two vowels.

For example:

• sabe [‘sa.βe] – knows
• lava [l’a.βa] – lava

Hear the differences in sound

See also: An Expert Guide to Spanish Allophones and Phonemes

B and V – Common hom*ophones

Palabras homófonas españolas (Spanish hom*ophones) are words that sound the same, but they’re spelled differently and have different meanings

As b and v are pronounced the same, they create many hom*ophones.

Spanish hom*ophones Chart with B and V

Recommended reading: A List of Spanish hom*ophones.

List of B and V Verbs

Let’s see some common verbs that start with b and v so that you avoid spelling them wrong. Click the audio file below to hear the following list of Spanish words pronounced.

Spanish Verbs with B

1. bailar – to dance

2. bajar – to lower, go down, descend, download

3. bañar – to bathe (someone)

4. barajar – to shuffle, to discuss

5. barnizar – to varnish, to glaze

6. barrer – to sweep

7. bastar – to suffice

8. batallar – to battle, to fight

9. batear – to bat

10. batir – to beat, hammer, pound (on)

11. bautizar – to baptize, christen

12. beatificar – to beatify

13. beber – to drink

14. becar – to give a scholarship

15. bendecir – to bless, foretell, forecast

16. beneficiar – to benefit, to profit

17. besar – to kiss

18. besuquear – to kiss repeatedly

19. bifurcar – to branch

20. blanquear – to bleach, to whitewash

21. blasfemar – to blaspheme

22. bloquear – to blockade

23. bobinar – to wind

24. boicotear – to boycott

25. bombardear – to bomb

26. bonificar – to subsidize, to award a bonus/discount

27. bordar – to embroider

28. bordear – to go around, to skirt

29. borrar – to erase, to cross out

30. bosquejar – to sketch

31. bostezar – to yawn

32. botar – to fling, to launch, to bounce

54. boxear – to box

56. bramar – to roar

58. brillar – to shine, sparkle, glitter, gleam

59. brincar – to jump, to frolic

60. brindar – to toast (someone)

61. bromear – to joke

62. broncear – to get a tan, to get a suntan, to bronze

63. brotar – to sprout, to come out, to rise

66. brutalizar – to brutalize

67. bucear – to dive underwater, to dive

68. bufar – to snort

69. bufonear – to joke, to jest

71. bullir – to boil

72. burbujear – to bubble

74. burlar – to deceive, trick, to seduce

75. buscar – to search for, look for

Spanish Verbs with V

1. vacar – to fall vacant, to be left vacant

2. vaciar – to empty

3. vacilar – to hesitate

4. vacunar – to vaccinate

5. vagabundear – to roam, to idle

6. vagar – to roam, to wander

7. valer – to be worth

8. validar – to validate

9. valorar – to value

10. valorizar – to value, to fix the price

11. variar – to vary

12. vedar – to prohibit, to forbid

13. vegetar – to grow, to vegetate

14. velar – to watch, to keep a vigil over

15. vencer – to conquer, defeat, overcome

16. vendar – to bandage

17. vender – to sell

18. venerar – to revere, to worship

19. vengar – to avenge, to take revenge

20. venir – to come

21. ventilar – to ventilate

22. ver – to see

23. veranear – to spend the summer

24. verificar – to verify, check, inspect

25. versificar – to versify

26. verter – to spill

27. vestir – to dress (someone)

28. vetar – to veto

29. viajar – to travel, journey

30. vibrar – to vibrate

31. vigilar – to watch, to guard, to invigilate

32. vigorizar – to invigorate

33. vincular – to link

34. vindicar – to vindicate

35. violar – to violate, to rape

36. violentar – to force

37. virar – to tack, to turn round

38. visitar – to visit

39. vislumbrar – to glimpse, to see

40. visualizar – to see, to make out, to discern

41. vitorear – to cheer

42. vituperar – to scold, to condemn

43. vivificar – to revitalize

44. vivir – to live

45. vocalizar – to vocalize

46. vociferar – to shout, to yell

47. volar – to fly

48. voltear – to turn over, to knock down

49. volver – to return, go back

50. vomitar – to vomit, throw up, bring up

51. vosear – to address a person using the vos form

52. votar – to vote

53. vulcanizar – to vulcanize

54. vulgarizar – to vulgarize

55. vulnerar – to infringe, to violate

To learn more about Spanish verbs, check out the following:

• 38 Regular IR and ER Verbs in Spanish You Can Master Today
• Learn 15 Spanish Verbs for Easier Beginner Conversations [with Audio]

Practice B vs V in Spanish

Now that you’ve learned about these important Spanish letters, it’s important to keep practicing. Only this way, you’ll be able to reach the fluent level and become truly bilingual.

Bilingual people have more job opportunities! Check out this article by Indeed about all the possibilities you’ll have after adding another language to your resume.

Don’t forget to read World’s Most Complete Spanish Pronunciation Guide [with Example Audio] to learn more about Spanish pronunciation.

If you need a conversational partner to correct your b and v mistakes and challenge you more, let Homeschool Spanish Academy help you achieve your language goals! Sign up for a free trial class and start practicing Spanish pronunciation in a 1-to-1 conversation! Check out our affordable pricing and flexible programs!

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