VOW-uhlz
/ˈvaʊəlz/
vowels is pronounced VOW-uhlz (/ˈvaʊəlz/). Vowels are speech sounds formed without constricting the airflow, using the vocal tract as a relatively open channel. In linguistics, vowels are defined by tongue height, backness, lip rounding, and length. The word “vowels” refers to the set of such sounds in a language, and in English the term also designates the letters A, E, I, O, U (and sometimes Y).
Vowels are speech sounds formed without constricting the airflow, using the vocal tract as a relatively open channel. In linguistics, vowels are defined by tongue height, backness, lip rounding, and length. The word “vowels” refers to the set of such sounds in a language, and in English the term also designates the letters A, E, I, O, U (and sometimes Y).
- You might default to saying ‘vow-els’ with a long first syllable and a hard /s/-like ending. Instead pronounce /ˈvaʊ.əlz/ with a distinct /əl/ nucleus and a final voiced /z/. - Another trap is misarticulating /aʊ/: avoid turning it into /æ/ or /ɔɪ/; keep the glide from /a/ to /ʊ/ smoothly. - Finally, in fast speech the /əl/ can become a reduced schwa with a near-silent /l/; practice keeping the /l/ light and audible. - Tip: practice the diphthong in isolation, then pair with a word that starts with /l/ (e.g., vowels-love) to train transition.
"The English vowels can be short or long, influencing meaning in minimal pairs like ship vs. sheep."
"She learned to distinguish the vowels in British and American pronunciations."
"The vowel system in English includes diphthongs, which glide from one vowel quality to another."
You pronounce it as /ˈvaʊ.əlz/ in General American and /ˈvaʊ.əlz/ in most UK contexts. Start with the stressed first syllable vah using the /aʊ/ diphthong (like ‘how’), then a reduced second syllable /əl/ with a light schwa, and finish with /z/ or /z/ voiced. Tip: keep the mouth open for the first syllable, then relax for the second. IPA: US/UK /ˈvaʊ.əlz/; keep the /v/ labiodental and the /w/ rounding through the diphthong. Audio guidance: listen to native speakers of English and mimic the sequence: vah-ulle-z.
Common errors include misplacing the diphthong: treating /aʊ/ as a pure /a/ or /ɔ/ (saying ‘vow-els’ instead of ‘vou-əlz’). Another frequent slip is nasalizing or voicing the vowel nucleus awkwardly when ending in /l/ or /z/, leading to a run-together sound. Finally, some learners unrounds the lips excessively or flaps their tongue for the /l/ in the second syllable. Correction: articulate /ˈvaʊ/ with a clean glide from /a/ to /ʊ/, keep the /l/ light and the /z/ clear. Practice with minimal pairs to isolate the /aʊ/ and the /əl/ sequence.
In General American, /ˈvaʊ.əlz/ with a clear /aʊ/ and a rhotic /r/? No; vowels are not rhotic in /əlz/. In many UK accents, the /aʊ/ remains similar, but the /l/ can be more velarized in some dialects and word-final /z/ may be voiced or dentalized. Australian English tends to have a flatter /ɔː/ in some speakers and can reduce /əl/ more toward a schwa-like sound, while maintaining /ˈvaʊ.əlz/. Overall, US speakers often have a tighter diphthong, UK accents may lengthen the vowel before /l/, and AU may show vowel height shifts in the nucleus depending on the region.
The difficulty lies in the /aʊ/ diphthong, which requires moving from a low open position to a high back position while keeping lip rounding consistent. Additionally, the /əl/ sequence can be tricky: the schwa's mid-central vowel is subtle, and the /l/ can carry a light, syllabic quality in rapid speech. Distinguishing the final /z/ from /s/ in fast speech also matters. To master it, isolate the nucleus with a slow drill, then blend the glide into the following syllable, and ensure the /l/ is light and not swallowed by the vowel.
A distinctive feature is the prominent /aʊ/ diphthong that creates contrast with short vowels like /ɪ/ in minimal pairs (vowels vs vowels-sounds? No; think catenation). In many dialects, the second syllable /əl/ can reduce toward a schwa or a light /l/ without fully vocalizing, giving a quick, clipped end in rapid speech. The word also demonstrates the tendency for precise voicing on the final /z/, which listeners use to separate plural morphology from non-plural forms in fluid speech.
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- US: /ˈvaʊ.əlz/ with a relatively tight /aʊ/ and pronounced /l/ and /z/; rhotics are not relevant in this word, but combined with surrounding consonants you’ll feel the rhythm. - UK: /ˈvaʊ.əlz/ commonly with a more open vowel before /l/ and a slightly clearer /z/; watch final /z/ voicing in connected speech. - AU: /ˈvaʊ.əlz/ similarly but you may notice more vowel centralization in rapid speech, especially the /ə/ in /əl/. Practice lip rounding consistently through the /aʊ/ and the /l/ to avoid converting it to /oʊ/ or /oən/.
The word vowels comes from Old English vokl “vocal sound,” from Proto-Germanic *fokal- “vocal sound, sound produced by the voice,” related to Gothic fauha ‘voice, sound’ and Dutch voiced vokel. The Proto-Indo-European root *awab- or *h2ew- is linked to sound and speaking. By the 9th–12th centuries, Middle English used ’vowel’ to distinguish the speech sounds produced with a relatively open vocal tract from consonants; the plural suffix -s was added in the modern era, yielding vowels. The term broadened to refer to the letters A E I O U (and sometimes Y) in orthography, while phonetically it denotes the class of voice sounds that function as syllabic nuclei, carrying the peak sonority of syllables. Throughout linguistic history, the understanding of vowels has evolved from a simple open/close contrast to a rich system of height, backness, rounding, tenseness, and length, including diphthongs and vowel length distinctions in various languages throughout the Indo-European family. In English, the concept also encompasses reduced vowels in unstressed syllables (schwa) and various regional vowel shifts that alter quality without changing segment identity. First known written mention of vowel sounds traces to Latin and Greek descriptions of vocal apparatus, with later medieval grammars formalizing vowels as opposed to consonants in phonology.
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Words that rhyme with "vowels"
-els sounds
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