schwa

Sometimes shwa

[shwah]

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.

schwa

/ 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of schwa¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of schwa¹

C19: via German from Hebrew shewā, a diacritic indicating lack of a vowel sound

Example Sentences

The schwa — the “uh”-like sound that can be represented by any vowel in the English alphabet — was a stone-cold killer.

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The schwa — the “uh”-like sound that can be represented by any vowel in the English alphabet, also known as the bane of competitive spellers’ existence — knocked out several finalists, as it routinely does.

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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".

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Spellers know it by its proper name: the schwa.

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

Read more on Washington Times