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

Explanation

Linguistic scholars might be most likely to discuss the schwa, or the unstressed vowel sound in a word, but we all use the schwa every day. We'd all be tongue-tied without it — the most common vowel sound in English, represented by an upside-down e and ready to spring into action in almost any unstressed syllable. The second syllable of sofa is one example of an English schwa. The word schwa is from the Hebrew word shewa, which denotes a diacritical mark meaning "no vowel," and literally means "emptiness."

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

He denied the spelling community another thrilling spell-off, outlasted the dominant Texans and didn’t let the schwa make him schweat.

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

"The vast majority of instances where kids misspell is due to the schwa."

From Fox News • May 28, 2019