---
title: "v and f, z and s: huis and huizen"
level: A2
chapter: "Sounds and spelling"
canonical: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/v-f-z-s
updated: 2026-10-08
author: Dutch Fluency
license: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
---

# v and f, z and s: huis and huizen

Dutch words almost never end in v or z on paper: you write f or s instead (loanwords like _quiz_ and _jazz_ are exceptions). When an ending like _-en_ or _-e_ follows, many of these words switch to v or z: _huis_ becomes _huizen_, _brief_ becomes _brieven_, _wolf_ becomes _wolven_. You can't always predict which words do this, so listen to the plural (the form for more than one) and learn it together with the word.

## The pattern

> At the end of a word, Dutch usually writes f or s, not v or z. When an ending that starts with a vowel follows, many words switch to v or z.

- Plurals with _-en_: _de brief_, _de brieven_; _de prijs_, _de prijzen_.
- Adjectives (describing words) with _-e_: _lief_, _lieve_; _boos_, _boze_.
- Verbs: _wij geven_, _ik geef_; _wij lezen_, _ik lees_.
- Endings that start with a consonant keep f and s: _hij leest_, _het huisje_, _het briefje_.
- After a short vowel, you usually double the letter instead: _de bus_, _de bussen_; _de les_, _de lessen_.
- Some words never switch: _de mens_, _de mensen_; _de fotograaf_, _de fotografen_.

## Examples

| Ik woon in een klein **huis**, maar de **huizen** hier zijn duur. | I live in a small house, but the houses here are expensive. |
| Fatima heeft twee **brieven** van de gemeente gekregen. | Fatima has received two letters from the municipality. |
| Er lopen veel **duiven** op het perron. | Lots of pigeons are walking around on the platform. |
| In de supermarkt zijn de **prijzen** weer gestegen. | At the supermarket, prices have gone up again. |
| Ik **lees** de krant en de kinderen **lezen** een strip. | I read the paper and the children read a comic. |
| Joris **geeft** Lotte een **lieve** kaart voor haar verjaardag. | Joris gives Lotte a sweet card for her birthday. |
| Ahmed **verhuist** volgende week en zijn buren **verhuizen** ook. | Ahmed is moving next week and his neighbours are moving too. |
| Bas en Yara huren een **huisje** aan zee. | Bas and Yara are renting a little house by the sea. |
| Op de bruiloft waren twee **fotografen**. | There were two photographers at the wedding. |

## Why it works this way

Put two fingers on your throat and say a long f, then a long v. The v buzzes. So does z, while s doesn't. Sounds with this buzz are called voiced.

At the end of a word, Dutch switches the buzz off, just like with [d and t](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/final-devoicing). The difference is spelling: _hond_ keeps its d on paper, but pairs like _huis_ and _huizen_ show the change in their letters, even when your ear barely hears it. Only a few borrowed words, like _de quiz_, end in z.

In words that switch, an ending that starts with a vowel brings the buzz back. That's why _huizen_ and _lieve_ have it, but _huisje_ and _leest_ don't. Long vowels follow the [open syllable rule](https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar/open-closed-syllables) at the same time: _de roos_, _de rozen_.

English does this too, in wolf and wolves or leaf and leaves, but only in a handful of words.

The singular (the form for one) won't tell you whether a word switches: _de prijs_ gives _de prijzen_, while _de mens_ gives _de mensen_. So listen to the plural. In the north and west of the Netherlands, v often sounds close to f and z close to s, so the difference can be small. Southern and Flemish speakers buzz more clearly. If your ear can't decide, check the plural once and learn the pair: _de brief, de brieven_.

Remember: v and z are shy. They hardly ever stand at the end of a word, but in many words they come back out as soon as a vowel ending gives them something to lean on.

## Watch out

- Not: _de huisen_ Say: _de huizen_ (the s turns into z before _-en_)
- Not: _twee briefen_ Say: _twee brieven_ (f becomes v; German speakers often keep the f)
- Not: _Liefe Sanne,_ Say: _Lieve Sanne,_ (the _-e_ brings back the v, on every birthday card)
- Not: _Ik reiz graag._ Say: _Ik reis graag._ (the ik-form of _reizen_ ends in s)
- Not: _de fotograven_ Say: _de fotografen_ (some words keep their f, so check the plural)

## Quick check

1. Fill in the plural of _brief_: _Ik heb twee ... gestuurd._
2. Choose: _De (huisen / huizen) in Utrecht zijn duur._
3. Fix the sentence: _Wij lesen elke avond._
4. Fill in the right form of _verhuizen_: _Sanne ... in juni naar Rotterdam._

## Answers

1. _brieven_ (f becomes v before _-en_)
2. _huizen_ (s becomes z before _-en_)
3. _Wij lezen elke avond._ (with _wij_ the verb ends in _-en_, and the z comes back)
4. _verhuist_ (_-t_ is a consonant, so the s stays)

## Use it today

Pick five nouns ending in f or s from your post, your street or your supermarket receipt, and look up their plurals. Say each pair out loud with two fingers on your throat, like _de brief, de brieven_, and feel where the buzz comes back.

## Questions learners ask

**Why is the plural of huis huizen and not huisen?**

Apart from a few loanwords like quiz, Dutch words don't end in z on paper, so the singular is written huis. When the plural ending -en follows, the z sound comes back between the vowels and the spelling shows it: huizen.

**When does f become v in a Dutch plural?**

Many nouns ending in f after a long vowel or a consonant take v before -en: brief becomes brieven, wolf becomes wolven, duif becomes duiven. Some words keep the f, such as fotograaf and fotografen, so check the plural when you learn a new noun.

**Do Dutch people pronounce v like f and z like s?**

In the north and west of the Netherlands, v often sounds close to f and z close to s, so the difference can be hard to hear. Speakers from the south and from Flanders keep a clearer buzz, but everyone writes v and z in the same words.

From the Dutch Fluency Grammar: https://www.dutchfluency.com/grammar. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.