vocal fry

[ voh-kuhl frahy ]

noun

1. a voice quality characterized by a low pitch and raspy sound and produced by a slow fluttering of the vocal cords: He wrote to the radio show to complain about the young woman’s vocal fry.

   Both men and women speak with vocal fry.

   He wrote to the radio show to complain about the young woman’s vocal fry.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vocal fry¹

First recorded in 1960–65; vocal ( def ) + fry ¹( def )