List of words without vowel letters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In English, every word must contain at least one spoken vowel in its pronunciation. However, there are a few words that do not contain a vowel letter in their written form. Traditionally, the following five letters have been regarded as vowel letters, because both in English and in most other languages they typically represent vowel sounds: a, e, i, o, u. However, in English, y has a double role, as it can sometimes represent a consonant (IPA [j]), as in yes, and sometimes a vowel, as in fly.
Other languages may have different rules about what letters represent vowels. One notable case is Welsh: Here, the letter w regularly represents a vowel, [u]. English has a few loan words from Welsh where this occurs, and hence there are a few words in English that really have no a, e, i, o, u, y. Examples are crwth (pronounced [krʊθ] or [kruːθ], a Welsh musical instrument), and cwm (pronounced [kuːm], a basin within a mountain).
There are also some languages that can in fact form words without a proper vowel even in pronunciation. A notable example is Croatian. Here, some consonants such as [r] can act as a syllable nucleus instead of a vowel. Examples are geographical names such as Krk. A particularly long word without vowels appears in Czech: čtvrthrst, meaning "quarter-handful". Even whole sentences can be made from such words in this language, such as "Strč prst skrz krk", meaning "stick a finger through your throat" or "Smrž pln skvrn zvlhl z mlh", meaning "Morel full of spots wetted from fogs".
In English, there are words that have no vowel letter in their written form which are abbreviations or mathematical expressions, such as km or nth.
And then there are several onomatopoeia words, such as psst, or tsk.
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[edit] Examples
[edit] nth
Nth, (pronounced enth) is considered a word in the English language. It is normally used as a representation for maximum (to the nth degree). Other uses include its realistic mathematical variable. 2n could be pronounced as "two to the nth power".
[edit] psst
A hissing sound designed to attract the attention of someone covertly. This word is described as being an onomatopoeia.
[edit] tsk
A sound of disapproval, also rendered tisk or tut, or alternatively a dental click (/).
[edit] w
[edit] crwth
The Crwth (pronounced [krʊθ] or [kruːθ]) is an instrument which originated in Wales, about 2000 years ago; the end of its popularity began in the mid-1800s.
Crwths were originally developed from the lyre. In the early 14th century, it was given a fingerboard. Advanced crwth players could play about 24 songs.
[edit] cwm
A cwm, (pronounced [kuːm]), is a large basin within a mountain that sometimes contains a lake. Cwms usually have steep edges. Synonyms: cirque. Note: J. R. R. Tolkien used the spelling "coomb".
[edit] y
If, counter to the system of English spelling, one counts y as a consonant letter throughout (as is sometimes done), then there is a great number of words that seemingly do not contain a vowel letter (e.g. by, thy, sky, syzygy, etc.). In the computer game The 7th Guest, one of the puzzles involves a vowel-less sentence- "shy gypsy slyly spryly tryst by my crypt".
[edit] crypt
An underground vault, especially one beneath a church that is used as a burial place.
[edit] lynx
Rival etymologist factions have argued for centuries whether the letter "y" is a consonant or a vowel; While there are certain clear-cut cases, such as yo-yo or fly, where the role of the "y" is apparent, the word lynx presents a new problem, as the pronunciation of the word affects one's opinion. The battle rages on today, as the consonant and vowel camps continue to fight for the ownership of the "y" in lynx. An etymological lithmus test of the general feeling towards lynx today, shows the vowel camp in front, with the "y" having an "i" sound (=links).
[edit] rhythm
An ordered recurrent alternation of strong and weak elements in the flow of sound and silence in speech; the aspect of music comprising all the elements that relate to forward movement
[edit] syzygy
A syzygy (pronounced [sɪz.ɪdʒi]) can be an alignment of three celestial bodies (for example, the Sun, Earth, and Moon) such that one body is directly between the other two, such as an eclipse.
