List of words without vowel letters
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 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.
Examples
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".
psst
A hissing sound designed to attract the attention of someone covertly. This word is described as being an onomatopoeia.
tsk
A sound of disapproval, also rendered tisk or tut, or alternatively a dental click (/).
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.
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".
2007-01-14 23:37:18
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answer #1
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answered by Basement Bob 6
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