Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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 (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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

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

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

The first letter was M. I started back at A and pointed very pointedly at the vowels because I knew a vowel would follow.

From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.