Articulation is how vowels and consonants are formed while singing, and it does three jobs at once: it makes the words understandable, it shapes the resonance (an active mouth and tongue mean an active breath connection and a fuller tone), and it carries interpretation, because where you put the stress is where you put the meaning. Vowels are what we sing on — they are lengthened in singing in a way they aren’t in speech — and consonants are the framework that gives the line its rhythm and its edges. This article covers each, the most common vowel mistake on words ending in “-ay” and “-ee”, syllable stress, and an exercise.
Updated October 2026.
Why should I articulate?
An active articulation promotes an active diaphragm, which helps you to connect the breath to your voice. When the connection is right, the articulation supports optimal resonance and makes your sound fuller and warmer, and louder.
What are vowels and consonants doing in singing?
Words are made of vowels and consonants.
Vowels
A, E, I, O, U
Vowels are created by the position of the tongue, the opening of the mouth, and the degree of rounding of the lips.
One main difference between speaking and singing is that you lengthen the vowels while you sing. Languages like Italian or dialects such as southern US dialects, also have lengthened vowels which is why they are sometimes referred to as sing-song or lilting.
Vowels produce a tone and convey emotions, they are what we sing on.
To make this a bit clearer, if you would sing the word „winter“, you’d probably sing „wiiiiiiiiiiinter“ instead of „winnnnnnnnnter“ or „winterrrrrr“
This is a rule from classical singing, which you can of course choose to convey! Some Pop and Jazz singers prefer to speak more than sing. This `spoken singing´ can have a very nice effect, but there are also musical situations where lengthened vowels are needed to make justice to the song!
Another example I want to give concerns words that end with “ay”, “ey” and “ee”.
Many singers tend to sing:
“Yesterdayyyyyyyyyy”, “awayyyyyyy”, “goodbyeeeeeeee”.
This can sometimes sound quite annoying and stressful. One should use the time and vowels that are available and sing “yesterdaaayyy”, “awaaayyy”, “goodbyyyyeeee” instead. This will make the word more interesting and will most probably sound more relaxed!
Consonants
B,C,D,F,G,H,J,K,L,M,N,P,Q,R,S,T,V,W,X,Y,Z
Consonants are formed by the tongue, the hard palate and soft palates, the lips, and teeth (these are called the articulators).
Consonants are the framework of our singing and speaking. They give us the possibility to express ourselves. Babies and animals don’t use consonants, which is why we can not understand what they want to express. As we grow up we learn to make use of consonants and create words to convey real meaning. Furthermore, consonants can give you a lot of opportunities to increase your expressiveness, and give more shape and depth to the sound you make with the vowels.
Why does syllable stress matter?
There are some words whose meaning you tell just from the sound. Through stressing specific parts of a word, you can reinforce and underline their emotional charge.
Stressing the beginning of a word, examples:
- Fast – accent on the `f´
- Warm – you can make the `w´ nice and soft and not too short
- So – you can make it more important by holding onto the `ss´
- Strong – a strong onset will give the word more significance.
When you read a text, it isn’t only made of vowels and consonants, it has its rhythm. This rhythm is made through stressing specific parts of the words and using accents.
📚TERM. Accent
If you pronounce ´Accent´ like ´accEnt´ and ´exAmple´ like ´Example´, it will take longer before these words are understood.
Furthermore, some words can even switch meanings when being accentuated differently: I was very contEnt with the cOntent of the package.
Another thing is that specific accentuation, or shifting the accents to another word, can also change the meaning: “Ididn’t do that” is something different than “I didn’t do thAt´”.
These are things that come automatically in your native language, but when you are singing in another language you should consider accentuation because otherwise, you might say something completely different than you mean.
Here is an example of how you would accentuate the lyrics of the song: Lemontree
I’m SItting HEre in a BOring ROOm
It’s JUst another RAIny Sunday AfternOON
I’m WAsting my TIme I got NOthing to DO
I’m HAnging arOUnd I’m WAIting for yOU
But NOthing ever HAppens
And I WONonder
Exercise: how to improve articulation
Articulation is one of the finishing skills on the singing technique guide, with vibrato and agility. If the words are clear but the tone is thin, the problem is resonance, not articulation; if a listener loses the words, it usually is.