A bilabial semivowel is a speech sound that is produced with both lips coming together, but not fully closing like in a plosive sound. An example of a bilabial semivowel in English is the 'w' sound, as in the word 'we'.

telephone number of bilabial house

Both v and b are pronounced the same in Spanish, as a bilabial fricative. Neither one sounds exactly like an English b, which is a bilabial plosive, but the Spanish v sounds more like a b to English speakers than it sounds like a v. It also looks like a b when Spanish speakers pronounce a v or a b, because in a bilabial fricative the lips appear to touch, whereas the English v is a labio-dental fricative produced by placing the teeth on the lower lip.

It represents the English sound of a voiced bilabial nasal stop. Also, the English language cannot function without it.

The capital city of Colombia is Bogota. Some Spanish speakers pronounce the letters b and v alike, as a bilabial fricative.