Now try saying the words “yard” and “canyon.” In these cases, the letter Y represents a sound that requires subtle manipulation of the mouth to partly block airflow, therefore Y is a consonant. You will notice that the speech sounds represented by the letter Y are fully open.

Try saying the words “may,” “silly,” and “cry” out loud. The letter Y can function as a vowel or a consonant depending on the word it’s in. This open airflow is what differentiates vowels from consonants. When articulated, the way in which the air flows through the vocal cords is open, without any blockage. These are always vowel sounds regardless of the word. The five standard vowels are A, E, I, O, and U. If a speech sound is pronounced without any blockage of the vocal cords, it is considered a vowel.

Air flows through our vocal cords and is constricted as we articulate. When we speak, we are pronouncing speech sounds represented by each letter.

Discussing letters in relation to airflow may seem odd, but it’s actually a straightforward way to understand a much more complex concept in linguistics.

What are all the vowels