schwa

American  

[shwah] / ʃwɑ /

Sometimes shwa

noun

Phonetics.

1. the mid-central, neutral vowel sound typically occurring in unstressed syllables in English, however spelled, as the sound of a in alone and sofa, of e in system, of i in easily, of o in gallop, and of u in circus.

2. the phonetic symbol ə, used to represent this sound.

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schwa British  

/ ʃwɑː /

noun

1. a central vowel represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet by ( ə ). The sound occurs in unstressed syllables in English, as in around, mother, and sofa

2. the symbol ( ə ) used to represent this sound

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Etymology

Origin of schwa

First recorded in 1890–95; from German, from Hebrew shəwā, literally, “nothingness, emptiness, vanity,” and the name of a diacritic marking schwa or no vowel

Example Sentences

All of the finalists Thursday night could spell schwa, no doubt.

From New York Times

Some see this as an expression of male dominance and support the introduction of gender-neutral noun endings, such as asterisks or the so-called "schwa", a symbol that looks like an inverted "e".

From Reuters

Spellers know it by its proper name: the schwa.

From Fox News

Red tickets are handed out to some students, as the class learns about the “schwa” sound of words displayed on the overhead screen.

From Washington Times

The real killer at the bee isn’t nerves; it’s the schwa.

From Time