# is there an english word without a vowel
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [December 12, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279 "2002-12-12T18:07:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@shea241](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shea241)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/1 "2002-12-12T18:07:54Z")
I don’t mean an abbrevation I want to know if there is an acctual word
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/2 "2002-12-12T18:08:49Z")
Crwth.
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### Author:  [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/3 "2002-12-12T18:14:23Z")
rhythmn
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### Author:  [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/4 "2002-12-12T18:15:33Z")
sorry, typo: rhythm
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### Author:  [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/5 "2002-12-12T18:15:36Z")
As I understand it, _w_, _y_, and _r_ are semivowels, in that they can sometimes act as independent vowels, or half of a diphthong, or one-third of a triphthong. But, there are no words in Modern English in which _w_ or _r_ acts as an independent vowel. “Crwth” (meaning “crowd”) is a holdover from Middle English, in which _w_ could act as a vowel. Perhaps some linguist(s) can correct me.
Here’s a fun fact. There are a lot of words ending in _m_ that have more syllables than vowels. For instance, “chasm” and “rhythm”.
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### Author:  [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/6 "2002-12-12T18:16:23Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by MC Master of Cermonies \*
> rhythmn
I was taught the following are vowels:
a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y
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### Author:  [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/7 "2002-12-12T18:17:16Z")
Rhythm
Crypt
myrrh
syzygy
Course, this will all depend on the “sometimes y” ruling
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### Author:  [@MC\_Master\_of\_Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MC_Master_of_Ceremonies)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/8 "2002-12-12T18:18:08Z")
Y can act as a vowel, but it is not classed as one.
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### Author:  [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/9 "2002-12-12T18:18:46Z")
gry?
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### Author:  [@dorkusmalorkusmafia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorkusmalorkusmafia)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/10 "2002-12-12T18:20:13Z")
Cwr.
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### Author:  [@shea241](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shea241)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/11 "2002-12-12T18:20:18Z")
so w and r can be sometimes considerd vowels?
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### Author:  [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/12 "2002-12-12T18:23:30Z")
Cwr? [M-W.com](http://M-W.com) doesn’t list it. What does it mean?
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/13 "2002-12-12T18:24:11Z")
The Master speaks: [Is it true “W” can be used as a vowel?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_246.html)
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### Author:  [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/14 "2002-12-12T18:24:52Z")
Why
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### Author:  [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/15 "2002-12-12T18:25:54Z")
Why
Try
My
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### Author:  [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/16 "2002-12-12T18:29:23Z")
If you don’t count Y, then you can form a whole freaking sentence (which is much more understandable than Cecil’s pangrams) without vowels:
SHY GYPSY, SLYLY SPRYLY TRYST BY MY CRYPT.
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### Author:  [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/17 "2002-12-12T18:33:46Z")
Boggle on [games.com](http://games.com) allows “nth” as in “to the nth degree”.
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### Author:  [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/18 "2002-12-12T18:37:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> SHY GYPSY, SLYLY SPRYLY TRYST BY MY CRYPT.
Don’t you mean “Bashful nomad, craftily, agilely, meet secretly near my underground vault.”? Or, does that only apply if you are the 7th guest to arrive? 🙂
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### Author:  [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/19 "2002-12-12T18:40:37Z")
Zzzzzzzzz.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [December 12, 2002, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-english-word-without-a-vowel/142279/20 "2002-12-12T19:28:18Z")
From [A Collection of Word Oddities and Trivia, Page 6](http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words6.html)
> [@](#):
>
> CWM (a glacial hollow on a hillside) has the rare W as a vowel, as does CRWTH (a type of stringed instrument). Both words are in MWCD10. They are pronounced “koom” and “krooth” (rhyming with room and truth). Other such words, not in MWCD10, are TWP (stupid), AWDL (an ode written in the strict alliterative meters), and LLWCHWR (a city-district in Wales). These words are of Welsh origin. The OED includes numerous archaic spellings in which W or V is a vowel.
>
> Words containing no vowels include Q.T. (as in “on the q.t.”) and DJ, both of which appear in the main part of MWCD10 and not in the abbreviations section. Other such words include BRRR, GRR, HMMMM, JHVH, MR., MRS., MS, NTH, PFFT, pH PHPHT, PHT, PSST, SH, SHH, SSSHHHHH, TSK, TSKS, TSKTSK, TSKTSKS, TV, YHWH, ZZZ, HSH (hush, W3), ST (silence, quiet, W3), TCH (vexation or disgust, W3), TCK (surprise or displeasure), and TST (hissed sound enjoining silence, W3). PHFFFT! and SSSSSSS are titles of movies from 1954 and 1973. The OED has TPRW (the sound of a horn).
>
> KRK is a Croatian island [Juozas Rimas].
>
> Richard VLK of Pittsburgh profited from a vowelless last name in 1983 when he won over $20,000 by finding enough flip tops from Pepsi cans to spell his name 1,393 times.
>
> Strc prst skrz krk (Czech for “Put your finger through your throat”) appears to have no vowels, but R serves as a vowel in Czech. Bydd y cyllyll yn y cwpwrdd wrth y bwrdd (Welsh for “The knives will be in the cupboard by the table”) does not use the vowels a, e, i, o, and u.
>
> The longest common word without an A, E, I, O, or U is RHYTHMS, but these additional words appear in W2: SYMPHYSY, NYMPHLY, GYPSYRY, GYPSYFY. The OED2 has TWYNDYLLYNG(S). And WPPWRMWSTE (in the OED) goes nine letters without an A, E, I, O, or U; GLYCYRRHIZIN (a constituent of licorice) goes eight letters without A, E, I, O, or U. (In all these words, “Y” is a vowel.)
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