IPA: Vowels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Vowels beside dots are: unrounded • rounded |
A close vowel, also called a high vowel,[1] is a type of vowel. It is used in many spoken languages. When you say a close vowel, your tongue is very close to the top of your mouth. It isn't touching the top, however, because if it were to touch the top of your mouth, it would be called a consonant.
"Close" /ˈkloʊs/ is recommended by the International Phonetic Association. In America, however, they are called high vowels.[2]
In the International Phonetic Alphabet are six closed vowels:
There also are three close vowels that don't have symbols in the IPA: