vowel

noun

vow·​el ˈvau̇(-ə)l 

1

: one of a class of speech sounds in the articulation of which the oral part of the breath channel is not blocked and is not constricted enough to cause audible friction

broadly : the one most prominent sound in a syllable

2

: a letter or other symbol representing a vowel

—usually used in English of a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y

Examples of vowel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

TikTok is a compound word that’s called (take a deep breath) an ablaut-shift reduplication because only the internal vowel changes. —Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2024

There are drawls, and then there are twangs, accented vowels that are compounded into two or three, sometimes changing the pace of speech, other times not. —New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024

The sheet also includes data like how many vowels the day’s word had. —Saira Mueller, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024

The Clue: This word has more vowels than consonants. . . . —Erik Kain, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

Pepe even vocalizes vowel sounds like the Caterpillar in Alice in Wonderland. —David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024

Buy some vowels and solve the puzzle for good news: Vanna White is back on Wheel of Fortune. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 9 Oct. 2023

How To Solve Today’s Wordle The Hint: The Clue: This word has far more consonants than vowels. . —Erik Kain, Forbes, 12 Feb. 2024

Sadly, though, French has changed my vowels and endo has changed my bowels. —Kristina Kasparian, Longreads, 6 Feb. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French vowele, from Latin vocalis — more at vocalic

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing vowel

• vowel point
• vowel rhyme
• great vowel shift

Video

The Schwa

The most common vowel sound in English causes many spelling problems.

Kids Definition

vowel

noun

vow·​el ˈvau̇(-ə)l 

1

: a speech sound produced without obstruction or audible friction in the mouth

2

: a letter (as a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y) representing a vowel