vowel

American  

[vou-uhl] / ˈvaʊ əl /

noun

1. Phonetics.

   1. (in English articulation) a speech sound produced without occluding, diverting, or obstructing the flow of air from the lungs (opposed to consonant).

   2. (in a syllable) the sound of greatest sonority, as i in grill.

   3. (in linguistic function) a concept empirically determined as a phonological element in structural contrast with consonant, as the (ē) of be (bē), we (wē), and yeast (yēst).

2. a letter representing or usually representing a vowel, as, in English, a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to a vowel.

vowel British  

/ ˈvaʊəl /

noun

1. phonetics a voiced speech sound whose articulation is characterized by the absence of friction-causing obstruction in the vocal tract, allowing the breath stream free passage. The timbre of a vowel is chiefly determined by the position of the tongue and the lips

2. a letter or character representing a vowel

---

Other Word Forms

• vowel-less adjective
• vowel-like adjective
• vowelless adjective
• vowellike adjective
• vowelly adverb
• vowely adverb

Etymology

Origin of vowel

1275–1325; Middle English < Old French vowel < Latin vōcālis vocal

Explanation

Open your mouth and say “aaaaa.” There! You’ve just said a vowel. A vowel is a letter that represents an open sound. There are six vowels in the English language: a, e, i, o, u and sometimes y. Y is sometimes a vowel, as in the word story although it also sometimes acts as a consonant, as in the word yes. The vocal sounds represented by vowels are open and without friction. The word vowel comes from the Old French voieul, which is based on the Latin phrase littera vocalis, or "vocal letter," from the root word vox, or "voice."

Example Sentences

But Team Italy didn’t want to add players, forward Nick Saracino said, “just because you have a vowel in your name.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

I mean, this is us lining up sine waves, “Minority Report”-style, and seeing where a vowel or a syllable is sort of falling out of place and giving the actor’s accent away.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025

While most humans would also fail to answer the Wason task correctly, it is unlikely that this would be because they didn't know what a vowel was.

From Science Daily • Jun. 5, 2024

Abrdn appointed branding agency Wolff Olins to advise on the change but has been on the receiving end of jibes ever since, with some suggesting the company suffers from "irritable vowel syndrome".

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2024

Exception 1.—When the final e is preceded by a vowel, it is sometimes omitted; as, due + ly = duly; true + ly = truly; whole + ly = wholly.

From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton

Related Words

• articulate
• choral
• operatic
• verbal