vocal fry

English

Etymology

From the resemblance of the noise to the sound of hot fat sputtering in a skillet.

Pronunciation

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

vocal fry (uncountable)

1. A low creaky vocal vibration caused by rapid vibration of the vocal chords.
   • 1975, Hilda B. Fisher, Improving voice and articulation, page 158:

     Some individuals have overlooked the fact that at such low pitch their voices fade to inaudibility at the ends of sentences, or scrape down to vocal fry.

   • 2004, Lloyd M. Hulit, Straight Talk on Stuttering, →ISBN, page 55:

     It is perhaps easiest to see the superimposition of vocal fry, so we will begin with this behavior.

   • 2011 December 9, Marissa Fessenden, “'Vocal Fry' Creeping Into U.S. Speech”, in Science:

     Pop singers, such as Britney Spears, slip vocal fry into their music as a way to reach low notes and add style.

   • 2014, Matthew Edwards, So You Want to Sing Rock 'n' Roll: A Guide for Professionals, →ISBN, page 112:

     Vocal fry is safe as long as you do not do it too loudly or for too long.

   • 2024 May 20, Alissa Wilkinson, “What We Lose When ChatGPT Sounds Like Scarlett Johansson”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Yes, you can detect a bit of Johansson’s clear, low tone and a hint of vocal fry, though at times that just sounds like some grainy digitalization.

Synonyms

• glottal fry
• popcorning (rare)

Translations

vibration of the vocal chords

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 氣泡音／气泡音 (qìpàoyīn)

• Dutch: vocal fry m
• Finnish: narina (fi)