1. a vowel sound that occurs in unstressed syllables, represented by the symbol ə
Usage: linguistics
2. the symbol ə used to represent the schwa sound
Usage: linguistics

Examples

• The schwa is the most common vowel sound in English.
• In the word ‘about,’ the first vowel is pronounced as a schwa.
• The symbol ə represents the schwa sound in phonetic transcription.
• Many unstressed syllables contain the schwa vowel.
• Students learn to identify the schwa in words like ‘banana’ and ‘sofa.’
• The schwa appears in the second syllable of ‘pencil.’
• Dictionaries use the schwa symbol to show pronunciation.