vowel

American  

[vou-uhl] / ˈvaʊ əl /

noun

vowels plural

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.

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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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• vowels
  plural

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

See Examples For:

vowel vowels

“Non-rhotic speakers essentially say the ‘r’ sound only when it occurs before a vowel sound, but not when it occurs after a vowel,” Ms. Fridland says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026

Its rebrand to Abrdn in 2021 was largely derided, with some saying it seemed like a typo, and others joking the firm had "irritable vowel syndrome".

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025

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

Check the following rule: If there is a vowel on one side of the card, there is an even number on the other side.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2024

But what if the h sounds like a vowel or the u sounds like a consonant?

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner

To go American, Mielewska said it's all about getting the Rs and the vowels right.

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

Its opening poem, “Digging,” feels earthbound with its low-pitched vowels: “Between my finger and my thumb / The squat pen rests; snug as a gun.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025

Investment firm Abrdn will add the vowels back into its name after dropping them in a rebrand that was widely mocked.

From BBC ● Mar. 4, 2025

Her characters would crash down on consonants, as though landing a plane in the midst of an engine blowout or stretch out vowels in defiance of several laws of physics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024

My voice is like the keys, following the instructions of the letters, vowels, and other signals on the page.

From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan

Related Words

• articulate
• choral
• operatic
• verbal