It is surprising to many that the letters B and V sound the same in Spanish. The sound is somewhere in between a B and V in English. In the English B, the two lips come together and actually touch, but with the English V it is the top teeth that touch the bottom lip.
The Spanish B/V is formed by bringing the two lips together until they barely touch at or maybe don't touch at all. We can demonstrate and practice in class. But do note that before a consonant, the B does sound close to an English B: as in abril, hombre
Since the two sounds are basically identical, it is customary when spelling a word in Spanish to use the qualifiers B-grande (big B) and B-chiquita (little B, or V). Or you can say "B de burro" or "V de vaca"
Please keep in mind there is no fatal error if you use the English "V" sound. You'll still be understood, and that's all that matters.
Here are some additional reading on this:
Spanishdict.com
Thoughtco.com
and here some videos
Butterfly Spanish "The Letters B and V in Spanish"
Pronunciation of the B and V in Spanish
This is a blog directed at beginner/intermediate students of Spanish, usually for those that I have worked with over the months/years. I am not a Spanish professor so please keep that in mind. Although I do my best to research difficult language issues, I cannot guarantee that my suggestions are valid, particularly throughout the entire enormous geographic regions where Spanish is spoken.
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