Word with out vowels

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

English orthography typically represents vowel sounds with the five conventional vowel letters ⟨a, e, i, o, u⟩, as well as ⟨y⟩, which may also be a consonant depending on context. However, outside of abbreviations, there are a handful of words in English that do not have vowels, either because the vowel sounds are not written with vowel letters or because the words themselves are pronounced without vowel sounds.

Words without written vowels[edit]

There are very few lexical words (that is, not counting interjections) without vowel letters. The longest such lexical word is tsktsks,^[1] pronounced /ˌtɪskˈtɪsks/. The mathematical expression nth /ˈɛnθ/, as in delighted to the nth degree, is in fairly common usage.^[2] Another mathematical term without vowel letters is ln, the natural logarithm. A more obscure example is rng /ˈrʌŋ/, derived from ring by deleting the letter ⟨i⟩.
Vowelless proper names from other languages, such as the surname Ng, may retain their original spelling, even if they are pronounced with vowels.

In the Middle English period, there were no standard spellings, but ⟨w⟩ was sometimes used to represent either a vowel or a consonant sound in the same way that Modern English does with ⟨y⟩, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. This vocalic ⟨w⟩ generally represented /uː/,^[3][4] as in wss («use»).^[5] However at that time the form ⟨w⟩ was still sometimes used to represent a digraph ⟨uu⟩ (see W), not as a separate letter. This practice exists in modern Welsh orthography so that words borrowed from Welsh may use ⟨w⟩ this way, such as:

• The crwth^[6] (pronounced /ˈkrʊθ/ or /ˈkruːθ/, also spelled cruth in English) is a Welsh musical instrument similar to the violin)^[7]

He intricately rhymes, to the music of crwth and pibgorn.^[8] in the Welsh alphabet W is a vowel so this word should not be counted.

• cwtch (a hiding place or cubby hole) is also from Welsh (albeit a recent word influenced by English, and used almost exclusively in the variant of English spoken in Wales, not in standard English), and crwth and cwtch are the longest English dictionary words without ⟨a, e, i, o, u, y⟩ according to Collins Dictionary.^[9] in the Welsh alphabet W is a vowel so this word should not be counted.
• A cwm^[10] (pronounced /ˈkuːm/) is used in English in a technical geographical or mountaineering context to mean a deep hollow in a mountainous area, usually with steep edges on some sides, like a corrie or cirque, such as the Western Cwm of Mount Everest. It is also sometimes used, by way of more recent borrowing from Welsh, in a more general sense of a valley. The spellings coombe, combe, coomb, and comb come from the Old English cumb,^[11] which appears either to be a much earlier borrowing from a predecessor of modern Welsh, or to have an even earlier origin, given that there was an ancient Greek word κὑμβη (kumbē) meaning a hollow vessel.^[12] In English literature, one can find the spellings combe (as in Ilfracombe and Castle Combe), coomb (as in J. R. R. Tolkien) or comb (as in Alfred, Lord Tennyson).

There are also numerous vowelless interjections and onomatopoeia found more or less frequently, including brr (brrr is occasionally accepted^{[clarification needed]}), bzzt, grrr, hm, hmm, mm, mmm, mhmm, sksksksk,^[13][14] pfft, pht, phpht,^[7] psst, sh, shh, zzz.

Alphabetical list of words without vowels A, E, I, O, U[edit]

B

Brr

Brrr

By(s)

Byrl(s)

Bzzt

C

Ch

Chynd

Cly

Crwth(s)

Cry

Crypt(s)

Cwm(s)

Cyst(s)

D

Dry(ly)(s)

F

Fly

Flyby

Fry

Fy

Fyrd(s)

G

Ghyll(s)

Glycyl(s)

Glyph(s)

Grrl

Grrr

Gyp

Gyppy

Gyp(s)

Gypsy

H

Hm

Hmm

Hwyl(s)

Hymn(s)

Hyp(s)

J

Jynx

K

Ky

L

Lym(s)

Lymph(s)

Lynch

Lyncx

M

Mhmm

Mm

Mmm

My

Myrrh(s)

Myth

N

Nth

Ny(s)

Nymph(ly)(s)

P

Pfft

Ph(s)

Phpht

Pht

Ply

Pry(s)

Psst

Psych

Pygmy

Pyx

R

Rhy

Rhythm(s)

Rng

Rynd(s)

S

Scry

Sh

Shh

Shrthnd

Shy(ly)

Sknch

Sksksksk

Sky

Skyr

Sly(ly)

Spry(ly)

Spy

Sty

Stymy

Swy

Sylph(s)

Syn

Sync(s)

Synch(s)

Synd(s)

T

Thy

Thymy

Try

Tryp(s)

Tryst(s)

Tsk(s)

Tsktsk(s)

Twp

Tyg(s)

Typp(s)

V

Vly

W

Wyn(s)

Wynn

Why(s)

Wry (ly)

Wss

Wych

Wyn

Wynd(s)

Wynn(s)

X

Xlnt

Xylyl(s)

Xyst(s)

Y

Ympt

Z

Zzz

Alphabetical list of words without vowels A, E, I, O, U, and Y.[edit]

B

Brr

Brrr

Bzzt

C

Ch

Crwth(s)

Cwm(s)

Cwtch

G

Grrl

Grrr

H

Hm

Hmm

M

Mhmm

Mm

Mmm

N

Nth

P

Pfft

Ph(s)

Phpht

Pht

Psst

R

Rng

S

Sh

Shh

Sknch

Sksksksk

T

Tsk(s)

Tsktsk(s)

Twp

W

Wss

X

Xlnt

Z

Zzz

Words without vowel sounds[edit]

Weak forms of function words may be realized without vowel sounds, as in I can go [aɪ kŋ̍ ˈɡoʊ] and I must sell [aɪ ms̩ ˈsɛl].^[15] Some of these forms are reflected in orthography as contractions, such as ‘s, ‘ll, ‘d, and n’t.

See also[edit]

• Wiktionary:List of words that comprise a single sound
• Disemvoweling – Removal of vowels from a text
• Words without vowels in other languages

References[edit]

It’s very interesting to know and understand the words without vowels.

Many words are made up of vowels and consonants. The difference between the two is due to the way the letters are pronounced. Vowel (a, e, i, o, you are also in English) is a spoken sound made with the mouth open and without the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, teeth, etc. You can break the spoken sound completely or slightly block the flow of air through the mouth.

But are there words in English without vowels at all? 

Yes, you will be surprised to know that there are more than a hundred words that do not have vowels, but most of these are initialism (abbreviations containing initials called separately) such as HTML, DVD, and LBD. Then there are words like fly, myth, and psych that do not have a, e, i, o, or u, but have ‘y’ that acts as a vowel.

English Words without Vowels with Meanings

Following are examples of words with no vowels in them:

Word	Meaning
Brr	An exclamation used to express someone’s reaction to feeling cold.
Cwm	A cirque, especially one in the mountains of Wales.
Cwtch	A cupboard or cubbyhole. A cuddle or hug.
Grrl	A young woman regarded as independent and strong or aggressive.
Hmm	An exclamation used to express reflection, uncertainty, or hesitation:
Mm	An exclamation used to express contentment or pleasure.
Nth	Denoting an unspecified item or instance in a series, typically the last or latest in a long series.
Pfft	Used to represent a dull abrupt sound as of a slight impact or explosion.
Psst	An exclamation used to attract someone’s attention surreptitiously.
Sh	An exclamation used to call for silence.
Tch	An exclamation used to express irritation, annoyance, or impatience.
Tsk	An exclamation used to express irritation, annoyance, or impatience.
Xlnt	An informal abbreviation of excellent.

Let us work on more English words without vowels, and we use such words quite often:

Dry	Gym	Psst	Why
Cry	Hmm	Lymph	Whys
Brr	Cysts	Drys	Wry
Cyst	Dryly	Ply	Thy
Fly	Lynch	Sylph	Thymy
Gypsy	Myths	Spy	Try
Crypt	Myths	Slyly	Why
Fry	Nymph	Sly	Wynd

Five and Six Letter Words without Vowels

Let us work on five and six letter words without vowels in a tabular form:

Five Letter Words	MEANING
MYRRH	A gum resin used in making incense
Pygmy	Any person, animal or plant that is abnormally undersized
Shyly	In a shy manner
Crwth	An ancient Celtic instrument
Phpht	Interjection to indicate mild annoyance

Six Letter Words	MEANING
Rhythm	Regular repeated pattern of movement or sound
Syzygy	A pair of connected or corresponding things.
Sylphy	The nearly straight-line configuration of three celestial bodies
Spryly	Lively, active, and brisk; vigorous.
Smyths	Smyth is an early variant of the common surname

Further, the longest word having seven letters which has none of the five vowels is: Nymphly

However, two six letters word which is Glycyl and Rhythm can as well be considered as seven letters word if we add “s” at the end of each word.

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Before you start your next game of Scrabble, wow your friends with your knowledge of English by learning the longest words without vowels you can spell.

If you have ever played a game of Scrabble, you know how valuable vowels can be. Unfortunately, you can often end up with a hand with none of these valuable letters, so how can you make words? Thankfully, there are words you can incorporate into your gameplay that do not use vowels. The longer these words are, the more valuable they are to you in the game.

You can get quite a few points when you know long words, and if those words don’t have vowels, you can incorporate them into your game a little more easily because those vowel tiles can be hard to get. Remember that the letter y can be a tricky part of these words. While it is technically a consonant, it can make vowel sounds. Thus, many of the words on this list contain vowel sounds; they use a y to spell those sounds.

Contents

• What Are Words Without Vowels?
• Eleven Letter Words Without Vowels
• Seven-Letter Words Without Vowels
• Six-Letter Words Without Vowels
• Five-Letter Words Without Vowels
• Author

What Are Words Without Vowels?

Most words in the English language have vowels in them. This is because vowels are necessary to break up the harder consonant sounds in spoken English. In fact, without vowel sounds, it would be nearly impossible to say any English words. Yet, as with most spelling and grammar rules in English, some words are spelled without the traditional vowels. English has so many words that are not spelled traditionally because of how the language developed.

English is a melting pot of different languages, and many words come directly from other languages or are derivatives of words from other tongues which do not have the same rules about vowel usage. Some of them do not follow traditional English spelling and pronunciation. While most English words have the vowels a, e, i, o, and u in them, some do not.

So what is the longest word without vowels in the English language? The longest words are

Twndyllyng	Phpht
Nymphly	Psych
Tsk-tsk	Pygmy
Glycyl	Shyly
Rhythm	Slyly
Sphynx	Synch
Spryly	Tryst
Syzygy	Wryly
Crypt

Keeping these in your back pocket will make you a more successful game player, and they may help you sound more intelligent when you talk to others, too.

Here is a closer look at these 20 words you can make without using vowels.

Eleven Letter Words Without Vowels

The longest word in the English language with no vowels is eleven letters long if you exclude plurals. Add an s to make it plural, and you have a twelve-letter word. Though it is rarely used and is of Welsh origins, it is in the Oxford English Dictionary, so it counts. In addition, it contains the letter y, which sometimes makes a vowel sound, but technically is not a vowel by most linguists, so it counts.

1. Twyndyllyng

• The mother was hoping for a twyndyllyngs pregnancy but had to wait until her ultrasound to find out.

Seven-Letter Words Without Vowels

The next longest word in English that does not use vowels has seven letters, as long as you are not counting plurals. Again, there is only one word that falls into this category. Because it is an adverb, this particular word does not have a plural counterpart, but it would still bring quite a few points on a friendly game of Scrabble.

2. Nymphly

• She nymphly traipsed around the forest in your moccasins.

Six-Letter Words Without Vowels

Several six-letter words in English are spelled without vowel letters. Some have y, but a few have no vowel-type letters at all. Some are words that emulate sounds made with the mouth, others are scientific terms, and others are words used regularly in everyday language.

3. Tsk-tsk

• She said, “tsk-tsk” to scold the small child, even though secretly she was amused by his antics.

4. Glycyl

• The glycyl radical enzymes are responsible for complex reactions within the genome.

5. Rhythm

• You got the melody notes right, but the rhythm is all wrong, so let’s try that again.

6. Sphynx

• We took a vacation to see the sphynx, which was as beautiful as we expected but larger than we anticipated.

7. Spryly

• Gigi moved so spryly that I was shocked when she told us she was 75.

8. Syzygy

• Syzygy is a fancy word for an eclipse, the rare phenomenon where the moon comes between the earth and the sun.

Five-Letter Words Without Vowels

Though they may not be the longest, some five-letter words do not use vowels. If you are a fan of the game Wordle, which often uses five-letter words, these are good words to keep in the back of your mind. This is the largest category of long English words without vowels. Because these sometimes do not use y, they deserve a spot on this list because they are entirely made from consonants, no questions asked. Some are Welsh in origin and use a w to make a vowel sound, but they can still appear in English dictionaries and are worth studying.

9. Crypt

• The adventurous teenagers felt a little frightened when their hike led them to the mysterious crypt.

10. Crwth

• The crwth has a unique sound, and I enjoy listening to recordings of the instrument.

11. Cwtch

• Please put your jacket in the cwtch with your name at the back of the classroom.

12. Dryly

• He licked his lips dryly while waiting for the waiter to bring water.

13. Glyph

• Have you ever considered the impact glyphs make on building design?

14. Gypsy

• Have you ever considered the impact glyphs make on building design?

15. Lymph

• Lymph is a green fluid that contains white blood cells and helps the immune system.

16. Lynch

• The lynch mob was common in the deep south before Martin Luther King, Jr.’s day.

17. Myrrh

• In the Christmas story, the three wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh gifts.

18. Phpht

• Did you hear the indignant “phpht” the customer said when we explained why they couldn’t get the sale price?

19. Psych

• The psych evaluation did not find any problems, so you can start the job on Monday if you are ready.

20. Pygmy

• The anthropologist studied the pygmy tribe to see how their height affected societal interactions.

21. Shyly

• Shyly, the little boy took the cookie from the hand of the kind baker.

22. Slyly

• They slyly snuck into the movie to see the second half of the show after the movie they paid for finished.

23. Synch

• The Bluetooth speaker had to synch to the phone before they could hear the music.

24. Tryst

• The lovers had a tryst when their parents said they could no longer see one another.

25. Wryly

• He looked at her wryly, taking in her ripped jeans and dirty shirt.

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Статья из списка Викимедиа

Орфография английского языка обычно представляет гласный звучит с использованием пяти обычных гласных букв ⟨a, e, i, o, u⟩, а также y⟩, которые также могут быть согласными в зависимости от контекста. Однако, помимо сокращений, в английском языке есть несколько слов, в которых нет гласных, либо потому, что гласные звуки не пишутся с гласными буквами, либо потому, что сами слова произносятся без гласных звуков.

Содержание

• 1 Слова без написанных гласных
• 2 Слова без гласных
• 3 См. Также
• 4 Ссылки

Слова без письменных гласных

Лексических слов очень мало (то есть не считая междометий) без гласных букв. Самое длинное такое лексическое слово — цкцкс, произносится / ˌtɪskˈtɪsks /. Математическое выражение nth / ˈɛnθ /, как в выражении «доволен до энной степени», встречается довольно часто. Другой математический термин без гласных букв — это ln, натуральный логарифм. Более неясный пример — rng / ˈrʌŋ /, полученный от слова «кольцо» путем удаления буквы ⟨i⟨. Безгласные собственные имена из других языков, такие как фамилия Ng, могут сохранять свое первоначальное написание, даже если они произносятся с гласными.

В период Среднеанглийского не существовало стандартных вариантов написания, но ⟨w⟩ иногда использовалось для обозначения гласного или согласного звука точно так же, как современный английский с ⟨ y, особенно в XIV и XV веках. Этот вокальный ⟨w⟩ обычно представлен / uː /, как в wss («использовать»). Однако в то время форма ⟨w⟩ все еще иногда использовалась для обозначения орграфа ⟨uu⟩ (см. W ), а не как отдельную букву. Эта практика существует в современной валлийской орфографии, поэтому слова, заимствованные из валлийского, могут использовать ⟨w⟩ таким образом, например:

• crwth (произносится / ˈKrʊθ / или / ˈkruːθ /, также пишется cruth на английском языке) — валлийский музыкальный инструмент, похожий на скрипку :

. Он замысловато рифмуется под музыку crwth и pibgorn.

• cwtch (укрытие или закутка hole) также происходит из валлийского (хотя это недавнее слово находится под влиянием английского языка и используется почти исключительно в варианте английского языка, на котором говорят в Уэльсе, а не в стандартном английском), а crwth и cwtch — самые длинные слова английского словаря без ⟨a, e, i, o, u, y⟩ согласно словарю Коллинза.
• Cwm (произносится / ˈkuːm /) используется в английском языке в техническом географическом или альпинистском контексте для обозначения глубокой впадины в горной местности, обычно с крутыми склонами. края с некоторых сторон, например, корри или цирк, например, Western Cwm на горе Эверест. Он также иногда используется в качестве более позднего заимствования из валлийского языка в более общем смысле слова «долина». Написание coombe, combe, coomb и comb происходит от древнеанглийского cumb, который, по-видимому, является либо гораздо более ранним заимствованием из предшественника современного валлийского языка, либо имеет еще более раннее происхождение, учитывая, что там было древнегреческим словом κὑμβη (kumbē), означающим полый сосуд. В английской литературе можно найти варианты написания combe (как в Ilfracombe и Castle Combe ), coomb (как в JRR Tolkien ) или comb (как в Альфред, лорд Теннисон ).

Также более или менее часто встречаются многочисленные безгласные междометия и звукоподражания, в том числе brr (иногда принимается brrr), bzzt, grrr, hm, hmm, mm, mmm, mhmm, pfft, pht, phpht, psst, sh, shh, zzz.

Слова без гласных звуков

Слабые формы из служебных слов могут быть реализованы без гласных звуков, например, в I can go [ aɪ kŋ̍ ˈɡoʊ], и я должен продать [aɪ ms̩ ˈsɛl]. Некоторые из этих форм отражены в орфографии как сокращения, например ‘s,’ ll, ‘d и n’t (они могут вызывать слоговые согласные.)

См. также

• Слова без согласных
• Викисловарь: Список слов, состоящих из одного звука
• Disemvoweling — Удаление гласных из текст.
• Слова без гласных на других языках

Ссылки

It’s a question that just about every English learner has asked: “Are there any English words that have no vowels?”

The answer to this depends what you mean by “vowel” and “word.”

In this article, we explain what vowel means and how English words without vowels can—and do!—exist. We also talk about the examples that some people may or may not believe are actually words.

Are there words with no vowels?

There are two things we mean by the word vowel: a speech sound made with the vocal tract open, or a letter of the alphabet standing for a spoken vowel.

Cwm and crwth do not contain the letters a, e, i, o, u, or y, the usual vowels (that is, the usual symbols that stand for vowel sounds) in English. But in those words the letter w simply serves instead, standing for the same sound that oo stands for in the words boom and booth. Dr., nth (as in “to the nth degree”), and TV also do not contain any vowel symbols, but they, like cwm and crwth, do contain vowel sounds.

Shh, psst, and hmm do not have vowels, either vowel symbols or vowel sounds. There is some controversy whether they are in fact “words,” however. But if a word is “the smallest unit of grammar that can stand alone as a complete utterance, separated by spaces in written language and potentially by pauses in speech,” then those do qualify. Psst, though, is the only one that appears in the Oxford English Dictionary.

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Английская орфография обычно представляет собой гласные звуки с пятью обычными гласными буквами ⟨a, e, i, o, u⟩, а также y⟩, которые также могут быть согласными в зависимости от контекста. Однако, помимо сокращений, в английском языке есть несколько слов, в которых нет гласных, либо потому, что гласные звуки не записываются с гласными буквами, либо потому, что сами слова произносятся без гласных звуков.

Слова без письменных гласных

Лексических слов (то есть не считая междометий) без гласных букв очень мало. Самое длинное такое лексическое слово — цкцкс , произносится / ˌtɪskˈtɪsks / . Математическое выражение nth / ˈɛnθ / , как выражение « восторг до энной степени» , встречается довольно часто. Еще один математический термин без гласных букв — это ln , натуральный логарифм. Более неясный пример — rng / ˈrʌŋ / , образованный от слова « кольцо» путем удаления буквы ⟨i⟩. Безгласные собственные имена из других языков, такие как фамилия Ng , могут сохранять свое первоначальное написание, даже если они произносятся с гласными.

В среднеанглийский период не было стандартного написания, но ⟨w⟩ иногда использовалось для обозначения гласного или согласного звука так же, как современный английский делает с y⟩, особенно в XIV и XV веках. Этот вокальный ⟨w⟩ обычно представлен / uː / , как в wss («использовать»). Однако в то время форма ⟨w⟩ все еще иногда использовалась для обозначения орграфа ⟨uu⟩ (см. W ), а не как отдельную букву. Эта практика существует в современной валлийской орфографии, поэтому слова, заимствованные из валлийского, могут использовать ⟨w⟩ таким образом, например:

• Crwth (объявленный / krʊθ / или / kruːθ / и также пишется cruth на английском языке) является валлийский музыкальный инструмент , похожий на скрипке :

Он замысловато рифмует под музыку crwth и pibgorn.

• cwtch (укрытие или каморка) также происходит из валлийского (хотя это недавнее слово под влиянием английского языка и используется почти исключительно в варианте английского языка, на котором говорят в Уэльсе, а не в стандартном английском), а crwth и cwtch — самые длинные английские словари. слова без ⟨a, e, i, o, u, y⟩ согласно словарю Коллинза .
• CWM (выраженный / Кум / ) используются в английском языке в техническом географическом или АЛЬПИНИЗМУ контексте означать глубокую впадину в горной местности, как правило , с крутыми краями на некоторых сторонах, как в цирке или Цирк, такие как Западная Cwm на горе Эверест . Он также иногда используется в качестве более позднего заимствования из валлийского языка в более общем смысле слова «долина». Написание coombe , combe , coomb и comb происходит от древнеанглийского cumb , которое, по-видимому, является либо гораздо более ранним заимствованием из предшественника современного валлийского языка, либо имеет еще более раннее происхождение, учитывая, что существовало древнегреческое слово κὑμβη (kumbē) означает полый сосуд. В английской литературе можно встретить написание combe (как в Ilfracombe и Castle Combe ), coomb (как в JRR Tolkien ) или гребешок (как у Alfred, Lord Tennyson ).

Существуют также многочисленные vowelless междометия и звукоподражания нашли более или менее часто, в том числе BRR ( бррр иногда принято), bzzt , гррр , гм , гм , мм , ттт , mhmm , Pfft , РНТ , phpht , Psst , ш , тсс , ZZZ .

Слова без гласных звуков

Слабые формы из служебных слов могут быть реализованы без гласных звуков, как я могу пойти [aɪ KN ɡoʊ] и я должен продать [aɪ мСм sɛl] . Некоторые из этих форм отражены в орфографии в виде сокращений , таких как ‘ s , ‘ ll , ‘ d и n’t .

Смотрите также

• Слова без согласных
• Викисловарь: Список слов, состоящих из одного звука
• Disemvoweling  — Удаление гласных из текста
• Слова без гласных в других языках

использованная литература

In non-rhotic English dialects, such as Received Pronunciation, every lexical word must contain at least one spoken vowel in its pronunciation. In rhotic dialects, such as General American, a word may contain no other vowel sounds if it instead has an R sound, as in «word.»

However, there are many words that do not contain a vowel letter (defined as A, E, I, O, U) in their written form. In most of these, such as «try,» the letter Y stands for a vowel sound. (Abbreviations such as «km» are of course not considered words in their own right.)

There are also some truly vowelless interjections and onomatopoeia which do not contain R.

Words without vowel letters

A large number of Modern English words spell the IPAEng|ɪ or IPA|/aɪ/ sound with the letter Y, such as «cry, by, sky, why, wry, spy, gym, crypt, hymn, lynx, myth, glyph, tryst, nymph, Gypsy, pygmy, flyby,» and «syzygy.» The longest such word in common use is «rhythms,» and the longest such word in Modern English is the obsolete 17th-century word «.» (If archaic words and spellings are considered, there are many more, the longest perhaps being «twyndyllyngs,» the plural of «.»)

In the computer game «The 7th Guest», one of the puzzles involves a vowelless sentence,:»Shy gypsy slyly spryly tryst by my crypt.»

Similarly, the letter «w» stands for a vowel sound (IPA|/u/) in Welsh words, and two of these have entered Modern English:
*The «crwth» (pronounced IPA|/ˈkrʊθ/ or IPA|/ˈkruːθ/ and also spelled «cruth») is a Welsh musical instrument similar to the violin::»He intricately rhymes, to the music of crwth and pibgorn.» [Dylan Thomas, «Under Milk Wood,» 1954]
*A «cwm» (pronounced IPA|/ˈkuːm/) is a deep hollow within a mountain, usually with steep edges, such as the Western Cwm of Mount Everest. However, it is nearly always spelled «combe» (as in Ilfracombe and Castle Combe), «coomb» (as in J. R. R. Tolkien) or «comb» (as in Alfred, Lord Tennyson).

There is also the mathematical expression «n»^th (pronounced IPA|/ɛnθ/), as in «delighted to the nth degree,» which has entered common usage.

Many acronyms contain no vowels, such as MC and DJ (also spelled «emcee» and «deejay)» for Master of Ceremonies and disc jockey.

Words without vowel sounds

Rhotic dialects, such as in the United States and Canada, have many words such as «bird, learn, girl, church, worst,» which some phoneticians analyze as having no vowels, only a syllabic consonant, IPA| [ɹ̩] . However, others analyze these words instead as having a rhotic vowel, IPA| [ɝ] . The difference may be partially one of dialect.

There are a few such words which are disyllabic, like «cursor, curtain,» and «tercel:» IPA| [ˈkɹ̩sɹ̩] , IPA| [ˈkɹ̩tn̩] and IPA| [ˈtɹ̩sl̩] (or IPA| [ˈkɝsɚ] , IPA| [ˈkɝtən] , and IPA| [ˈtɝsəl] ). The word «myrrh,» perhaps uniquely in the English language, contains neither a vowel letter nor a vowel sound in these dialects: IPA| [ˈmɹ̩] (or IPA| [ˈmɝ] ).

The word «and» frequently contracts to a simple nasal consonant «’n,» as in «lock ‘n key» IPA| [ˌlɒk ŋ ˈkiː] . Words such as «will, have,» and «is» regularly contract to «’ll» [l] , «’ve» [v] , and «’s» [z] . However, none of them are pronounced alone without vowels.

Onomatopoeic words that can be pronounced alone, and which have no vowels or Rs, include «hmm, pht!, pst!, shh!, tsk!,» and «zzz».

Other languages

There are languages that form lexical words without any vowel sounds. The best known are probably the Slavic languages. In Croatian, for example, the consonants IPA| [r] and IPA| [rː] (the difference is not written) can act as a syllable nucleus and carry rising or falling tone; examples include the tongue-twister «na vrh brda vrba mrda» and geographic names such as «Krk». In Czech, either IPA| [l] or IPA| [r] can stand in for vowels: «vlk» IPA| [vl̩k] «wolf», «krk» IPA| [kr̩k] «neck». A particularly long word without vowels is «čtvrthrst,» meaning «quarter-handful», with two syllables (one for each R). Whole sentences can be made from such words, such as «Strč prst skrz krk,» meaning «stick a finger through your neck» (follow the link for a sound file), and «Smrž pln skvrn zvlhl z mlh» «A morel full of spots wetted from fogs». (Here «zvlhl» has two syllables based on L; note that the preposition «z» consists of a single consonant. Only prepositions do this in Czech, and they normally link phonetically to the following noun, so do not really behave as vowelless words.) In Russian, there are also prepositions that consist of a single consonant letter, like «k» «to», «v» «in», and «s» «with». As in Czech, and English «’ll, ’ve, ’s, etc.,» they do not normally occur alone.

So far, all of these syllabic consonants, at least in the lexical words, have been sonorants, such as [r] , [l] , [m] , and [n] , which have a voicing quality similar to vowels. However, there are languages with words that not only contain no vowels, but contain no sonorants at all, like «shh!» in English. These include Lolo, a few dialects of Berber, some of the northwestern Bantu languages, and some languages of the American Pacific Northwest, such as Nuxálk. An example from the latter is «sxs» «seal fat» (pronounced|sxs, as spelled), and a longer one is «unicode|xłp̓x̣ʷłtłpłłskʷc̓» (pronounced|xɬpʼχʷɬtʰɬpʰɬːskʷʰʦʼ) «he had had in his possession a bunchberry plant». (Follow the Nuxálk link for other examples.) Such words cannot be said very loud, as the human voice can only be loud when pronouncing sonorants.

In Mandarin Chinese, words and syllables such as «sī» and «zhī» are sometimes described as being syllabic fricatives and affricates phonemically, IPA|/ś/ and IPA|/tʂ́/, but phonetically they contain a sonorant segment that carries the tone.

References