vowel
n. countable A2 Elementary US //ˈvaʊəɫ// UK //vˈaʊəl// vow·el
n. a speech sound you make with your mouth open and your throat vibrating. In English writing, the letters a, e, i, o, and u represent these sounds.
n. a speech sound produced by a relatively open configuration of the vocal tract, with the vibration of the vocal cords but without audible friction. In orthography, it refers to a letter representing such a sound.
Every English word must contain at least one vowel.
The teacher explained that the letter 'y' sometimes acts as a vowel in words like 'sky' or 'fly'.
Linguists distinguish between monophthongs, which are pure vowel sounds, and diphthongs, where the tongue moves from one vowel position to another within a single syllable.
Usage
Commonly contrasted with 'consonant'.