# When is "W" a vowel?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-w-a-vowel/84843>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 1, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-w-a-vowel/84843 "2001-10-01T21:52:48Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Snaf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@Snaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snaf)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-w-a-vowel/84843/21 "2001-10-05T12:54:48Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Northern Piper \*  
> \*\*…I don’t hear any change between “cow” and “coward.”
> 
> Can anyone explain what he’s talking about? \*\*

Perhaps accents are affecting people’s impressions of pronunciation here, but to me the difference between the two is better written as ‘cow’ and ‘cow-werd’ - ‘cow’ leaves off with an open sound, but you have to move your lips more deliberately to pronounce the ‘werd’ part of ‘coward’.

Anelie

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**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\
**Post date:** [October 5, 2001, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-w-a-vowel/84843/22 "2001-10-05T15:25:35Z")

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GreatKingRat, I have seen it in a Webster’s dictionary. It is the Welsh spelling for dog although in the definition it said it was archaic, if I recall correctly. I don’t know what your dictionary has or not. I wouldn’t use it in Scrabble unless I had an English dictionary to back it up. (I hate Scrabble anyway, so it doesn’t matter.)

HUGS!  
Sqrl

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