vowel

American  

[vau-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.

---

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

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

Even the word, beginning and ending with similar vowel qualities, evinces monotony.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2024

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

An M followed by a vowel, then a consonant, then a vowel, then a consonant.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour

Leto’s grumbling Brit-inflected baritone is an unrecognizable concoction of trilled r’s and plummy vowels — and the best performance he’s done in years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Mar. 5, 2026

“The way he finishes notes, the way he slurs into notes, the way vowels sound, the choices of sounds he uses in the lyrics he writes—it’s just clever,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025

They were prone to making simple mistakes, including basic addition errors and mistaking consonants for vowels, which led them to provide incorrect answers.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 5, 2024

They spoke in that fancy Valley Hope way, enunciating their consonants and rounding their vowels, and it was hard to tell whether they were sincere or sarcastic.

From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• articulate
• choral
• operatic
• verbal

---