How to Pronounce /f/

How to Pronounce /f/

About this free lesson

Here is a preview of how to pronounce the /f/. The course is designed specifically for professionals who work in IT, engineering, and project management.

This section includes the first three /f/–/p/ minimal pairs with audio. The full course covers the complete system for mastering /f/ and /p/ in technical and project work. It also includes other consonants that are fequently substituted for /f/ – the /v/ and /b/.

Why /f/ matters in a professional IT workplace

As you know, communication is key to the success of every projected, and that is why clear spoken English matters. A distorted /f/ creates small but real misunderstandings:

  • “The update failed.” vs “The update pailed.”
  • “We encountered four performance issues.” vs “We encountered poor performance issues.”
  • “I left a file on your desk” vs “I left a pile on your desk.”

Key IT /f/ words:

  • file, feature, firewall
  • infrastructure, frontend, framework
  • performance, configuration, buffer
  • enough, tough, staff

How to pronounce /f/ in American English

1. Lip + teeth position

  • Place your top front teeth lightly on your bottom lip.
  • Keep the lip relaxed (don’t bite hard).
  • Let air pass through the small gap to make friction: “fffff”.

2. Air flow (friction)

  • /f/ is a continuous sound: you can hold it: “fffffile”, “fffffeature”.
  • Keep the airflow steady; don’t “pop” it like /p/.
  • If you fully close the lips, you’ll get /p/ or /b/ instead of /f/.

3. Voice (voiceless)

  • /f/ is voiceless: your throat should NOT vibrate.
  • Test: touch your throat and say “fffff” (no buzz).
  • Compare to /v/: “vvvvv” (buzz). This lesson focuses on keeping /f/ clean and voiceless.

Practice: /f/ and /p/ for the workplace

Minimal pairs are two words that differ by only one sound (here, /f/ vs. /p/). Practice these to train your ear and mouth.

1. fan / pan

  • fan = a cooling device (computer fan)
  • pan = a cooking device

Work sentences:

  • “The fan is loud in this server.”
  • “I made eggs in the new frying pan.”

Practice:

  • fan – pan – fan – pan
  • “Fan noise. Hot pan.”

2. fine / pine

  • fine = okay; good
  • pine = a tall tree and the wood from the tree

Work sentences:

  • “The build is fine.”
  • “The pine desk is over 100 years old.”

Practice:

  • fine – pine – fine – pine
  • “Fine build. Pine desk.”

3. file / pile

  • file = a document or file in a system
  • pile = a heap of things lying one on top of another.

Work sentences:

  • “Open the file and check the config.”
  • “Put the pile of books on the counter.”

Practice:

  • file – pile – file – pile
  • “File path. Pile of data.”

4. fast / past

  • fast = quick
  • past = gone by in time

Work sentences:

  • “The response is fast.”
  • “We used COBOL in the past.”

Practice:

  • fast – past – fast – past
  • “Fast response. Past system.”

How to Practice This Lesson

Daily Routine (5–10 minutes)

  • Listen & repeat
  • Record yourself saying each minimal pair.
  • Compare with a native speaker (YouTube, podcast, or your coach).
  • Mix into work phrases
  • Choose 2–3 pairs per day and use them in real work sentences.
  • Example: today focus on “file / pile” and “fail / pail.”
  • Use in speaking
  • In meetings, emails, and chat:
  • “Save the file.”
  • “The test failed.”