Front vowels are pronounced with the front part of your tongue close to the front of your mouth. Front vowels are sometimes also called bright vowels because they are perceived as sounding brighter than the back.

Central vowels are produced with the tongue in a relatively neutral or middle position within the mouth. They are not pronounced with the tongue pushed forward or backward.

Back vowels are produced with the back of the tongue positioned toward the back of the oral cavity. These sounds are pronounced with the tongue moved closer to the throat. Back vowels are sometimes also called dark vowels because they are perceived as sounding darker than the front vowels.

A close vowel is characterized by the tongue being positioned very near to the roof of the mouth without forming any constriction.

A close-mid vowel is characterized by the tongue being positioned one third of the way from a close vowel to an open vowel without forming any constriction.

A open-mid vowel is characterized by the tongue being positioned the tongue is positioned one third of the way from an open vowel to a close vowel without forming any constriction.

A open vowel is characterized by the tongue being positioned as far away as possible from the roof of the mouth without creating any constriction.