This goes for English, as well as for many other languages throughout the world. There is not a simple and direct connection between vocalized vowels and their written counterparts. The same goes for the letter combination of “igh”-think “eight” or “thigh.” “Eight” and “thigh” make excellent examples of the above-defined -thongs. In words like “x-ray,” the x works as a vowel when vocalized, even if it doesn’t appear a vowel in writing. It’s also the sounds those letters make which constitute a vowel. In English, as shown above, it’s not just the letters that make up a vowel. So It’s Not As Simple As A, E, I, O, and U? Linguists make further distinctions among the -thongs as well, especially when differentiating between phonetic (i.e. How someone articulates a word can also impact the quality of the vowel sound: those who may pronounce “fire” as two distinct syllables are no longer vocalizing the “ire” as a single vowel sound but rather as two distinct sounds “fi” and “er.” There is an anatomical aspect to this, too, relating to where the tongue and throat move with the articulations. “Fire,” “dire,” and “Ireland” showcase the triphthong well, as the “ire” sound constitutes the triple vowel intonation.

Triphthongs allow a vowel to travel through three sounds within a single syllable.

The word “oil” showcases this well: the “o” changes sounds as it slides into the “i” beside it. Then there are the diphthong, wherein a vowel sound glides from one to the next (they’re also referred to as gliding vowels) in a single syllable. The “o” in hop is an example of this, as is the “i” in hit. Vowels articulated the same way from beginning to end in a single syllable are called monophthongs. Vowels can change sounds over the course of their pronunciation, just as they can also remain entirely the same. And it’s in this second definition, called the phonological definition, where what we think of as standard vowels (a, e, i, o, and u) become more complicated with the “sometimes y” and, yes, “sometimes w.” The phonetic definition and the phonological definition of a vowel are not always the same.

What makes a vowel a vowel