Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Two or three formant peaks identify each vowel sound. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a music fact?

Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Vowels are shaped by resonances, not by the vocal cords

Two or three formant peaks identify each vowel sound The vocal folds produce a buzz with many harmonics, and the throat and mouth filter it. Moving the tongue and lips moves the formants, turning one buzz into ah, ee or oo. Trained singers tune formants to project over an orchestra. It sits in Mondo's music collection, one of 200 facts that each trace back to the reference below.

Where this comes from

Britannica

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Music trivia

More facts like this

Voice types are defined by comfortable range and colourA soprano might sing from middle C to a high C two octaves above Timbre is the recipe of harmonicsThe same note on a flute and a violin differs only in its overtone strengths Musicians tune by listening for beatsTwo nearly matched frequencies produce a slow throb that stops when they agree Warm air makes instruments play sharpSound travels faster as temperature rises, lifting the pitch of wind instruments Concert halls aim for about two seconds of reverberationToo little sounds dry, too much muddles fast passages A single note already contains a whole chordThe harmonic series stacks octave, fifth, fourth and third above the fundamental

Tags: voice, acoustics, anatomy

Vowels are shaped by resonances, not by the vocal cords: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Two or three formant peaks identify each vowel sound. The figure is taken from Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a music fact?: Yes. It sits on the Music shelf, one of 2,600 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.