What's a vowel

Vowels: Types of Vowels

by Craig Shrives

This Page Includes...

Video
Printable & Sendable Test
Why Vowels Are Important
Key Points

What Are Vowels? (with Examples)

The letters A, E, I, O, and U are called vowels. The other letters in the alphabet are called consonants.

There is a debate over whether Y is a vowel or a consonant. We will discuss this later.

Formal Definition for Vowel

A vowel is classified as "a speech sound produced by a comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract, with vibration of the vocal cords but without audible friction."

Short and Long Vowels

In English, the sounds of the vowels are group into two pairs: short vowels and long vowels. The short vowels are pronounced as follows:

"a" as in
"bat"
"e" as in
"bed"
"i" as in
"bit"
"o" as in
"bog"
"u" as in
"but"

The long vowels are pronounced as follows:

"a" as in
"haze"
"e" as in
"he"
"i" as in
"hi"
"o" as in
"hope"
"u" as in
"human"

Unfortunately for those learning English, these vowel sounds can be created with lots of different spellings. It is even common for a single vowel to create the sound of a different vowel (e.g., the "a" in "any" creates a short "e" sound). Here are some examples:

Some alternative spellings for the short "e" vowel:

many
bread
said
leopard

Some alternative spellings for the long "a" vowel:

pain
prey
pray
puree

When teaching vowels, it used to be a common practice to show the short vowels as lowercase letters (aeiuo) and the long vowels are uppercase letters (AEIOU). However, as both sets usually appear as lowercase letters in words, this practice has largely been dropped from teaching materials.

That's Interesting!

Every Syllable Has a Vowel Sound

A vowel sound (but not necessarily a vowel in the actual spelling) will be present in a syllable.

Interesting Words

Here are some interesting words with regard to their vowels:

The word "Iouea" (a genus of sea sponges) contains all five vowels and no other letters.
The words "abstemious" and "facetious" contain all five vowels in order.

Is Y a Vowel?

Using the formal definition above, the letter Y in words like "hymn" and "shy" is also a vowel. However, in words like "beyond" and "yes," Y is a consonant because the breath is partly obstructed.

So, is Y a vowel? Well, sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't, which is why it is often called a semi-vowel. The argument for classifying Y as a consonant (which most do) is based on this: When Y is a vowel, it is really just an I. When it is a consonant, it is being itself.

Why Vowels Are Important

Here are two good reasons to think more carefully about vowels.

(Reason 1) Be clear on when to use "an" and "a."

Use "an" (not "a") before a vowel sound. The important word here is sound.

Get the Rule Right!

This is the rule:

Use 'an' before a vowel sound.

This is NOT the rule:

Use 'an' before a vowel.

Knowing when to use "a" and "an" is all about the sound of the next letter. (It is not about whether the next letter is a vowel or a consonant.). Look at these examples:

an apple. a apple.
an RTA. a RTA

While we're on this subject, it's worth reminding ourselves that the words "an" and "a" are called the indefinite articles.

An unidentified man with a unicorn tattoo rented a house an hour ago.

sound

Becoming a eunuch wasn't a one-off deal it was a two-off deal.

(Reason 2) Use assonance to add rhythm and musicality to your writing.

Assonance is a literary technique created by repeating the same vowel sound in neighboring words. It is used by lyricists and poets to encourage their readers and listeners to consider the near rhyme created by the assonance. (NB: Assonance contrasts with consonance, which is a similar literary technique in which nearby words repeat the same consonant sound.)

Here are some examples of assonance:

His fleet feet seem impossible to beat.
"A host, of golden daffodils" (Extract from "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by poet William Wordsworth)
"Hear the mellow wedding bells" (Extract from "The Bells" by American writer Edgar Allen Poe)

Read more about assonance. Here, for comparison, is an example of consonance:

I earn my keep by cracking locks or picking pockets.

Key Points

Try our drag-and-drop test on the types of syllable.

Video Lesson

Here is a 12-minute video summarizing this lesson on vowels.

Printable Test

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What is a Vowel? Definition, Examples of English Vowels

Vowel definition: A vowel is a sound produced with a comparatively open configuration of the vocal tract. In everyday language, a vowel is a letter (sound) of the English alphabet that is not a consonant.

What is a Vowel?

A vowel is most often identified as a letter that is not a consonant. More specifically, a vowel is a sound that when paired with a consonant makes a syllable.

A vowel is any sound that a letter makes that is not a consonant sound.

What are the vowels? There are five English vowels,

A, E, I, O, U.

Sometimes, Y can also function as a vowel, but it is not considered a vowel in and of itself.

Examples in Words:

cat
- “a” is a vowel in this word
street
- “e” and “e” are vowels in this word
late
- “a” and “e” are vowels in this word

Vowels and Consonants

Vowels and consonants are two different sounds. A consonant is most often identified as a letter that is not a vowel.

English consonants are: B, C, D, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y (sometimes), Z.

Consonants and vowels do not make syllables on their own. A vowel paired with a consonant makes a syllable.

Example of consonants in words:

bin
- “b” and “n” are the consonants in this word
stool
- “s,” “t,” and “l” are the consonants in this word
chair
- “c,” “h,” and “r” are the consonants in this word

Forming Syllables

A syllable is a unit of sound that creates meaning in language. Vowels alone do not make syllables. Instead, they pair with consonants to create what we know as syllables.

Syllables can have more than one letter. However, a syllable cannot have more than one sound.

Furthermore, syllables can have more than one vowel and more than one consonant. Still, a syllable cannot have more than one consonant or vowel sound.

Examples of syllables in words will help clarify this concept.

Examples:

tree
- one syllable
- two consonants “t” and “r” “w” and two vowels “e” and “e”
holy
- two syllables
- “ho”: one consonant “h” plus one vowel “o”
- “ly”: one consonant “l” plus one vowel “y”
example
- three syllables
- “ex”: one vowel “e” plus one consonant “x”
- “am”: one vowel “a” plus one consonant “m”
- “ple” : two consonants “p” and “l” plus one vowel “e”
lake
- one syllable
- two consonants “l” “k” plus one two vowels “a” and “e”

Literary Devices That Use Vowels

The sound that vowels make is used to create a literary device called assonance. Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words.

Assonance is often used in poetry when writers use sound to create meaning.

It is important to note that assonance is not rhyme.

Example of Assonance:

the green tree bleeds its honeyed sap
the repetition of the long “e” sound in the words “green,” “tree,” and “bleeds” creates assonance

The following is an example of assonance from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Bells”

Hear the sledges with the bells—

Silver bells!

What a world of merriment their melody foretells!

In these lines, Poe use the short “e” sound to create assonance. Here is another look at the lines with the terms that create assonance underlined.

Hear the sledges with the bells—

Silver bells!

What a world of merriment their melody foretells!

Poe uses the words of this poem to reinforce the sound of the bells. He selects words specifically to sound as though the poem itself is making bell-like noises.

The assonance reinforces the melody of the bells themselves.

Consequently, writers should only use assonance when they understand its purpose. Like any literary device, assonance should connect to meaning and be used with intention.

Summary: What are Vowels?

Define vowel: the definition of vowel is a speech sound produced without blocking the breath channel; anything that is not a consonant.

In summary, a vowel is:

not a consonant
A, E, I, O, U, (and sometimes Y)
paired with a consonant to make a syllable
used to create the literary device assonance

Contents

1 What is a Vowel?
2 Vowels and Consonants
3 Forming Syllables
4 Literary Devices That Use Vowels
5 Summary: What are Vowels?

Vowel sounds and letters. How many are there in Russian?

Free introductory lesson in Russian

Enroll

Correct pronunciation of words is one of the components of beautiful and literate speech. To achieve this, you will first have to study the sounds themselves. In this article, we will figure out together what vowel sounds are, how many vowels are in the alphabet of the Russian language, and what sounds they can represent.

What are vowels and sounds

Vowel sounds are those sounds that we freely convey with our voice. Hence their name comes from: voice means "voice". When pronouncing, air exits through the mouth and does not create noise, and the position of the tongue and lips determines which vowel sound we will pronounce.

There are much fewer vowels in Russian than consonants. There are 6 of them in total: [a], [o], [i], [s], [y] and [e]. To understand whether a vowel sound is in front of you or not, try to sing it. For example:

a-a-a ,
woo
s-s-s .

If it works, then the sound is a vowel. You can't do that with consonants.

There are more vowels than sounds - there are 10 of them: a, i, u, u, o, e, e, e, i, s . This difference is due to the fact that some of these letters can represent two sounds and are pronounced using a combination of a vowel and a consonant [y']. For example, in the word spruce the letter e two sounds are expressed - [y '] and [e]. Let's look at the table all the vowel sounds and the letters that represent them.

Letter	Sound	Example
a	[a]	pharmacy
i	[a] [d'] + [a]	change anchor
y	[y]	moon
	[y] [y'] + [y]	love skirt
about	[o] [a]	horse milk
e	[e] [y'] + [e] [and]	victory raccoon great
e	[o] [d'] + [o]	rope hedgehog
e	[e]	evolution
and	[and] [s]	caviar life
s	[s]	choice

Demo lesson in Russian

Take the test at the introductory lesson and find out what topics separate you from the "five" in Russian.

How vowel sounds are related to syllables

Vowel sounds form syllables - sound segments of words that we pronounce with one breath. One syllable can be either a vowel with one or more consonants, or a vowel alone. There is even a rule by which syllables can be counted: how many vowels in a word - so many syllables.

For example, in the word journey there are 5 vowels: [u], [i], [e], [i] and [e]. This means that it has 5 syllables: p-te-she-stv-e .

Test yourself!

Count the number of syllables in the words: try on, tanner, well-groomed, care, prefix, capital, wet, invitation, orange .

Vowel sounds and stress

Now let's see what groups vowel sounds are divided into. Sometimes their pronunciation depends on whether the stress falls on them, that is, whether we single them out with our voice. So vowel sounds are divided into stressed and unstressed. Here are some examples:

Sound	Impact position	Unstressed position
[and]	large	prize money
[a]	chess	spruce
[y]	frog	empty

Stress in Russian can fall on any of the existing vowel sounds. However, only 4 of them can be unstressed - these are [a], [i], [y] and [s]. In this position, we pronounce sounds weaker than under stress, because of which they can change qualities and sound differently.

Interestingly, the vowels [o] and [e] can only be stressed. There are only a couple of exceptions to this rule: for example, in words cocoa and canoe sounds [o] and [e] in an unstressed position.

How unstressed vowels are related to consonants

How an unstressed vowel sounds depends on the consonant that precedes it. Or rather, from its hardness or softness. If it is a hard consonant, it can be followed by unstressed vowels [y], [a] and [s]. When we talk about a soft consonant, it is followed by unstressed vowels [y] and [and].

After a hard consonant	After a soft consonant
[l]howl	p[r'i]kaz
[wa] yes	[s'u] yes
[woo]lcan	[v'i]trina

Test yourself

It's time to find out if you now understand well what vowel sounds are in Russian. To do this, we have prepared tasks for self-examination.

Task 1

List all the vowels in these words:

fair,

rejoice,

doll,

distant,

buddy,

voting,

mirror,

story,

OK,

captivate.

Task 2

Name 5 words each in which the sounds [a], [i], [y] and [s] would be stressed.

Task 3

Name 5 words in which an unstressed vowel would come after a hard consonant, and 5 more words where it would follow a soft consonant.

Task 4

Count the number of syllables in the words below (don't forget to use the rule you learned at the beginning of the article!):

weightless,
sunrise,
adventure,
painter,
perpetuate,
pleasant,
image,
category,
exciting,
melting,
snowflake.

The rules of phonetics help us to speak correctly, so it is important to master the topic of vowels well and avoid gaps in knowledge. If even after reading the article you still have questions on the topic, you can figure them out in the Russian language course at Skysmart. In online lessons, the teacher will help the student work out the theory and consolidate the result on non-boring tasks. So the student will be able to improve the quality of knowledge, and fall in love with the subject.

Russian cheat sheets for parents

All the rules for the Russian language at hand

Vowels and vowel sounds of the Russian language - diagram, table

In Russian there are 10 vowels, 6 vowels. e, e, o, u, s, e, u, i. Vowel sounds: [a], [o], [y], [e], [i], [s]. In the school curriculum, vowel sounds are indicated in the diagrams in red. In elementary grades, they explain: vowels are called so because they “voice”, they are pronounced “voiced”, while consonants got such a name because they “agree” with vowels.

Scheme 1. Vowels and vowel sounds of the Russian language.

Stressed and unstressed vowels

There are vowel sounds:

unstressed: in about yes [a], from y dak [y], l e juice [i].

It is correct to say "stressed syllable" and "unstressed syllable". Instead of "stress falls on a vowel" say "stress falls on a syllable with a vowel." However, in the literature there are formulations "stressed vowel" and "unstressed vowel".

Stressed vowels are in a strong position, they are pronounced with more force and intonation. Unstressed vowels are in a weak position, they are pronounced with less force and may be subject to change.

Note. The designation of the letter e in a weak position differs in different school programs. Above we showed the sound [and], in other school programs the designation [e] is found, in the institute program - [e ^and] (e with an overtone and).

Scheme 2. Division of vowels into stressed and unstressed.

In Russian there are compound words with primary and secondary stress. In them, with a strong intonation, we highlight the main stress, with a weak intonation - a secondary one. For example, in the word foam blocks, the main stress falls on the syllable with the letter o, the secondary stress on the syllable with the letter e.