Have you ever seen that symbol before? While it does look like an unfinished question mark, it’s actually a symbol within the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) used to represent something called a glottal stop and you’ve probably used it without even realizing it!

What is a glottal stop? In order to make sound or talk, our vocal folds have to vibrate together at an incredibly high rate. However, if there is an abrupt closing of those vocal folds, the airflow stops and thus creates that fun little symbol, or the glottal stop.

The glottal stop occurs naturally within the English language and maybe more than you might guess. Take the word “uh-oh” for example. There is a glottal stop within that slight pause between the two vowel sounds. You will be able to feel it happening in the back of your throat. If you’re having a harder time placing it, try slowly repeating it a couple of times, making sure to allow for a small pause between when say “uh” and “oh.”

Where else does this happen? Going beyond that one example, there are a few instances, or conditions, that glottal stops are typically used.

For example, they often occur when a sentence starts with a word that has an initial vowel, such as, “apple,” “about,” or “outside.” Feel free to try out the sentences below to see if you can catch it happening!

• “Apples are tasty in the fall.”
• “Elves work hard to make toys.”
• “If it stops raining, we can go to the park.”

While that last example was focusing on the start of sentences, this can also happen in the middle of one too when a word is emphasized. However, this only happens if the word starts with a vowel or a stop consonant, such as /d, t, k, g, p, b/. Ready to try out some sentences?

• “I want to play but I don’t want to play outside.”
• “We didn’t get one.”
• “I think Kate is the only one ready.”

This also can occur when words with /t/ or /d/ are near an /n/. Since English is not a tonal language, we often make little dialectical changes that don’t affect the meaning of the word but do make it a little easier to say. Think of the word “button.” Typically, this isn’t pronounced with a prominent /t/, but rather like “buh- in,” where we use a glottal stop instead. Another common example is “mountain,” again using that glottal stop as a substitute for the /t/.

Whether or not you noticed them before, glottal stops are everywhere! Try and see if you can catch yourself using one the next time you are talking.