How many words is there in the American language?

There are 5 vowels and 2 semi-vowels (Y and W).

But there are from 11 to 20 "vowel sounds" in English, made by one or more vowels in various Words.

Vowels in the English AlphabetThe 5 traditional vowels are A, E, I, O, and U. However, in English the the letters W and Y can also represent vowel sounds, but they don't always do so. Hence, they may be considered vowels "sometimes".

Examples with Y and W as vowels:

• In the Word "by" [ˈbɑɪ], the Y represents the vowel diphthong [ɑɪ], sometimes called the "Long I" sound.
• In the Word "cow" [ˈkaÊŠ], the W represents the vowel sound [ÊŠ].

Examples where Y and W do not represent vowels:

• In the Word "yet" [jÉ›t], the Y represents the semi-vowel sound [j].
• In the Word "we" [wi:], the W represents the semi-vowel sound [w].

Vowel Sounds in the English LanguageDepending on the accent, the English language can have anywhere from 11 to 20 vowel sounds. As evidenced above, the English alphabet only has 5 letters that are used exclusively to represent vowels.

Using the General American accent as an example, these are some of the vowel sounds that exist, excluding diphthongs:

• [É‘] - the A in father
• [æ] - the A in cat
• [É™] - the A in about
• [É›] - the E in bet
• [e] - the A in pay
• [Éœ]* - the UR in purple or the IRin bird, usually followed by an [ɹ]
• [i] - the I in machine
• [ɪ] - the I in big
• [o] - the O in toe
• [É”] - the O in cost
• [u] - the OO in cool
• [ÊŠ] - the OO in good
• [ÊŒ] - the U in bug

*R-colored (rhotic) vowels:

• [ɝ] - the OR in work
• [Éš] - the ER in butter