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

It’s hard to blame the contestants, considering that a schwa can be any of six letters — or none.

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2023

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

From New York Times • Jun. 2, 2023

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 • Mar. 20, 2023

Sometimes a schwa can show up where vowels fear to tread: Think of the second syllable of the word "rhythm."

From Fox News • May 28, 2019