Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently
Five words, five V sounds at the start. It is a dramatic little sentence and a direct test of whether your V is a real V, made with the teeth on the lip, or a W or B in disguise.
Vincent vowed vengeance very vehemently.
More tongue twisters for the same sounds
- A pelican flapped past the boat, then flew back to the foggy bay.
- Olivia prefers plain vanilla, but Felix favors fresh blueberry pie.
- Bob's brave brother brought a bright blue balloon to the big parade.
- Phoebe brings five fresh violets to her favorite aunt every February.
- Philip's favorite fabric was velvet, but his father preferred fine flannel.
- Fiona found five faded photos in a brown paper box and, before breakfast, framed every photo for her father.
Other famous tongue twisters for these sounds
Where to breathe
- Vincent vowed vengeance
- very vehemently.
Is your V really a V
For V the upper teeth rest lightly on the lower lip and the voice buzzes through. It is the voiced partner of F. Many speakers of other languages replace it with W, using both lips, or with B, closing the lips completely. In this line any such swap is obvious: “Wincent wowed wengeance” or “Bincent bowed”.
The V is followed by a different vowel each time: short I, OW, short E, short E again, and long E. So the lip stays in place while the jaw and tongue change. That is harder than it seems.
“Vehemently” is the hardest word. It is said VEE-uh-ment-lee, with the stress on the first syllable. In most American speech, the H is not pronounced. Many people stumble on the number of syllables and say “vemently”.
How to practice it
Look in a mirror and say “van, ban, wan”. On V you should see the upper teeth touch the lower lip. On B, both lips close. On W, the lips round and do not touch the teeth. Practice the three until they are clearly different.
Then say each word of the line slowly, holding the V for a moment: “vvvincent, vvvowed”. Feel the buzz on your lip.
Learn “vehemently” on its own: “vee-uh-ment-lee”, four syllables. Then add it back. Breathe after “vengeance” at first, then try the whole line on one breath, three times in a row.
Questions about this tongue twister
- How do you pronounce vehemently?
- VEE-uh-ment-lee, with the stress on the first syllable. The H is usually silent in American English. It means with strong feeling, forcefully.
- What does vowed vengeance mean?
- To vow vengeance is to swear revenge, to promise that you will pay someone back for a wrong. So Vincent made an angry promise to get even.
Keep practicing
Practice with a timer
In DramaLab, the speed ladder is an exercise: it gives you tongue twisters one by one, walks you up the five steps and keeps time. No sign-up needed.