Pronunciation: [vˈa͡ʊə͡lz] (IPA) 
The word "vowels" is spelled with a "w" between the "v" and the "e". In IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) phonetic transcription, this sound is indicated by the symbol /w/. The letter "v" represents a voiced labiodental fricative, indicated by the symbol /v/. The letter "e" represents a close-mid front unrounded vowel, indicated by the symbol /e/. When pronounced together, the word "vowels" is pronounced as /ˈvaʊ.əlz/.
Vowels are a category of speech sounds that are produced with an open vocal tract and without any stoppage or constriction of airflow. In the English language, vowels are one of the two main classes of speech sounds, the other being consonants. Vowels are characterized by the absence of any significant friction, stoppage, or audible noise during their production.
The English language has a total of five vowel letters: "a," "e," "i," "o," and "u." However, the actual number of vowel sounds exceeds this as there are additional "long" and "short" variants, as well as vowel sounds represented by combinations of two or more letters. Vowels are typically classified based on various linguistic features such as height, backness, and roundedness.
Vowels play a crucial role in the structure and function of language. They are an essential component of syllables and constitute the nucleus of a syllable. Vowels provide the pitch, loudness, and duration that help differentiate one word from another. Additionally, vowels also contribute to the rhythm and melody of speech, making them important for prosody and intonation.
Understanding and distinguishing between various vowel sounds is crucial for language learners, as their incorrect pronunciation can lead to misunderstandings or difficulty in communication. The study of vowels falls under the branch of linguistics known as phonetics, which focuses on the physical properties and acoustic characteristics of speech sounds.
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
The word vowels originates from the Late Latin vocalis (meaning vocal), which is derived from the Latin word vox (meaning voice). Over time, the word evolved into the Old French vocales, and eventually entered Middle English as vowellis. This later transformed into the modern English word vowels.
