Word
vowel
Phoneticsvow·el
US/ˈvaʊəɫ/
UK/vˈaʊəl/
Definition
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.
Examples
“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.”
Examples
simple
“Every English word must contain at least one vowel.”
contextual
“The teacher explained that the letter 'y' sometimes acts as a vowel in words like 'sky' or 'fly'.”
complex
“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'.
Related words
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/vowel