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 )

Example Sentences

The moment I could feel that tide shifting was probably the Great Vocal Fry Wars of 2013.

From Salon

Vocal fry is a normal vocal affectation — used by both men and women — where you drop your voice for emphasis.

From Salon

Within the Bubble, the perpetually peppy Lindy is in constant conversation with her friends; she chats away with the cadence — and vocal fry — of a family-friendly YouTuber, and they coo back.

From New York Times

Famously, Butler's voice inexplicably shifted from his more nasally California vocal fry to a deep-toned sensual southern accent.

From Salon

The observed sound production mechanism is strikingly similar to human "creaky voice" or "vocal fry."

From Science Daily