Close vowel

A close vowel, also known as a high vowel, is a special kind of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. What makes a close vowel unique is the way our tongue is positioned when we make the sound. To create a close vowel, the tongue moves as close as possible to the roof of the mouth, without touching it or making a blockage. If the tongue touches or blocks the roof of the mouth, the sound would change and become a consonant instead.

The word “close” comes from a recommendation by the International Phonetic Association, the group that helps standardize how we describe sounds in language. In some traditions, especially in the United States, these sounds are called “high” vowels because the tongue is lifted high in the mouth when we say them.

In studying how sounds work in a specific language, a high vowel can include sounds that are very close, almost close, or in between close and middle height. This means that close-mid vowels, near-close vowels, and fully close vowels can all be grouped under the idea of high vowels.

Partial list

The International Phonetic Alphabet has special symbols for six close vowel sounds. These are:

• close front unrounded vowel [i]
• close front compressed vowel [y]
• close central unrounded vowel [ɨ]
• close central protruded vowel [ʉ]
• close back unrounded vowel [ɯ]
• close back protruded vowel [u]

Some close vowels do not have their own special symbols. Instead, they use extra marks added to nearby vowel symbols. Examples include:

• close front protruded vowel [ʉ̟] (yʷ)
• close central compressed vowel [ÿ] (ɏ)
• close back compressed vowel [ɯᵝ] (u͍)