Oho! I say hoo too. I hear it like that also when English people say 'who'. But there's another Spanish sound that causes me anyway problems enough: zarzuela, cabeça, corazon. Even more complicated than the Englis ththt-s.
I suppose the Spanish th-sounds are a bit different from the English?
You knew I'd get in on this...
There are regional variations, as noted. In "standard" Spanish, there exists no sound correspondent to a "z" in English. It is pronounced as an "s".
B/V: Same sound. Often they are called "v chica" and "b grande", in which, of course, the first letters send the same, hence the need for distinction.
"Is that bay as in Victor or bay as in Habana?" - now THAT is funny!
I take crap for my "wh" pronunciation, too. I teach in an urban high school. They even try to "trick" me into saying words such as "whale" so they can have a laugh. Sometimes I indulge them... ;0)
