The "B" sound in Spanish

In standard Spanish pronunciation, the "B" sound is produced similarly to the English "B" sound. Here's how to produce it:

Lips together: Bring your lips together to create a closure.
Build up air pressure: As you release the closure, allow a burst of air to pass through your lips.
Voicing: Make sure your vocal cords vibrate to produce a voiced sound. This means that your vocal cords should be engaged.
No aspiration: Unlike in English, where the "B" sound is typically aspirated (with a puff of air), in Spanish, the "B" sound is unaspirated. This means there's no noticeable puff of air when producing the sound

In Spanish, particularly in many Caribbean regions like Cuba and Puerto Rico, the "B" sound is often realized as an approximant rather than a fully articulated stop as in English. So, when pronouncing the "B" sound in general, aim for a softer, more lenient closure between the lips, allowing for a slight approximation. This produces a sound that's less forceful and more relaxed compared to the English "B".

Keep in mind that the pronunciation variation is common in speech and may vary among speakers and regions.

Shadowing step by step

1. Start by listening to the phoneme in isolation, then in syllables.
2.  Repeat and try to mimic the sound.
3. Listen to the recording without reading the story, focusing solely on the sound.
4. Aim to grasp the majority of words, concentrating on the 'B' phoneme.
5. Listen to the recording while reading the story aloud in Spanish. This helps you nail the pronunciation and rhythm.
6. Use the English text as support to understand unfamiliar words.
7. Check the grammar box below to identify verb conjugations and pattern
    

"B" sound in isolation

 "B" sound in syllables

aba

"B" sound in words

cava-lava-estaba

"B" sound in context

Verb explanation