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vocal

bo-KAL/boˈkal/

vowel

NounfA1
A colorful illustration of an open mouth showing the tongue and throat as if making a sound.

📝 In Action

El alfabeto español tiene cinco vocales.

A1

The Spanish alphabet has five vowels.

Esta palabra termina en vocal.

A1

This word ends in a vowel.

Es difícil pronunciar una palabra con muchas vocales juntas.

B1

It is difficult to pronounce a word with many vowels together.

Word Connections

Antonyms

  • consonante (consonant)

Common Collocations

  • vocal abierta – open vowel (like a, e, o)
  • vocal cerrada – closed vowel (like i, u)

board member

Also: spokesperson
Nounm or fB2formal
Chile
A group of diverse people sitting around a circular table in a meeting, one person raising their hand to vote.

📝 In Action

Él fue nombrado vocal del comité de vecinos.

B2

He was appointed as a board member of the neighborhood committee.

La vocal de la asociación presentó las nuevas reglas.

B2

The board member of the association presented the new rules.

Necesitamos tres vocales para que la votación sea válida.

C1

We need three voting members for the vote to be valid.

Word Connections

Synonyms

Antonyms

Common Collocations

  • vocal de mesa – polling station officer (during elections)
  • vocal suplente – alternate board member

vocal

A close-up of a person's neck and throat area with glowing lines to represent vocal cords.

📝 In Action

Las cuerdas vocales son necesarias para hablar.

B1

Vocal cords are necessary for speaking.

El grupo tiene una armonía vocal increíble.

B2

The group has incredible vocal harmony.

Hizo un esfuerzo vocal muy grande durante el discurso.

C1

He made a great vocal effort during the speech.

Word Connections

Common Collocations

  • cuerdas vocales – vocal cords
  • registro vocal – vocal range

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "vocal" in Spanish:

board member→spokesperson→vocal→vowel→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: vocal

Question 1 of 3

If you are talking about the letters A, E, I, O, U, what are they called in Spanish?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
voz(voice) — Noun
vocalista(vocalist/singer) — Noun
vocalizar(to vocalize/enunciate) — Verb
vocación(vocation/calling) — Noun
🎵 Rhymes▼
📚 Etymology▼

From the Latin 'vocalis', which literally means 'having a voice' or 'related to the voice'. This comes from 'vox' (voice).

First recorded: 13th century

Cognates (Related words)

English: vocalFrench: voyelleItalian: vocale

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does 'vocal' mean 'singer'?

No, if you want to say 'singer', you should use 'cantante' or 'vocalista'. 'Vocal' as a person refers to a member of a committee.

Is the 'v' in 'vocal' pronounced like an English 'v'?

Not exactly. In Spanish, 'v' and 'b' sound exactly the same. It is a soft 'b' sound, made by touching your lips together.

How many vowels does Spanish have?

Spanish has exactly five vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u). Unlike English, they never change their sound.