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vowel

noun [C]
 
 
/vaʊəl/

Definition

B1 a speech sound produced by humans when the breath flows out through the mouth without being blocked by the teeth, tongue, or lips: A short vowel is a short sound as in the word 'cup'. A long vowel is a long sound as in the word 'shoe'. → Compare consonantPhonology and phonetics B1 a letter that represents a sound produced in this way: The vowels in English are a, e, i, o, and u.Lettering and alphabetsLetters of alphabets
(Definition of vowel noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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