Phrase guide

glottal stop

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • UK: /ɡlɒtəl stɒp/
  • Northern-England: /ɡlɒʔəl stɒp/
  • General-American: /ɡlɑtəl stɑp/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A plosive sound articulated with the glottis.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The glottal stop symbol, ʔ.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

hiatus

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, phonetics, phonology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a stop consonant articulated by releasing pressure at the glottis; as in the sudden onset of a vowel

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: glottal plosive, glottal catch

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stop consonant, stop, occlusive, plosive consonant, plosive speech sound, plosive

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հագագային աղեղ (hagagayin aġeġ) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Asturian: oclusiva glotal — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Central Bikol: untok — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Bulgarian: глотална пауза (glotalna pauza) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Catalan: oclusiva glotal — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 聲門塞音 /声门塞音 (shēngmén sèyīn) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 清喉塞音 (qīnghóu sèyīn) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Chinese Mandarin: 喉塞音 — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Czech: ráz — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Dutch: glottisslag — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Esperanto: glota halto — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Estonian: kõrisulghäälik — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Finnish: glottaaliklusiili — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • French: coup de glotte — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • German: Knacklaut — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • German: glottaler Plosiv — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • German: Stimmritzenverschlusslaut — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • German: Glottisschlag — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Hungarian: gégezárhang — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Hungarian: glottális stop — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Hungarian: glottális hang — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Icelandic: raddglufulokhljóð — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Irish: stop glotais — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Japanese: 声門閉鎖音 (seimon heisaon) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Japanese: 声門破裂音 (seimon haretsuon) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Korean: 성문 폐쇄음 (seongmun pyeswaeeum) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Lakota: khezé — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Latin: occlusiva glottidalis — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Latvian: glotāls slēdzenis — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Limburgish: glottisslaag — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Malay: hentian glotis — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Māori: ngoto — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Navajo: saad niyíłtłáádígíí — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Persian: انسدادی چاکنایی — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Polish: zwarcie krtaniowe — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Portuguese: oclusiva glotal — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Romanian: ocluziune glotală — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Russian: горта́нная смы́чка (gortánnaja smýčka) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Russian: твёрдый при́ступ (tvjórdyj prístup) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Scottish Gaelic: consan dùinte glotasach — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Spanish: oclusiva glotal — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Spanish: saltillo — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Swedish: glottisstöt — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Swedish: glottal klusil — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Tahitian: ’eta — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Turkish: gırtlak vuruşu — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Turkish: gırtlak ünsüzü — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Tzotzil: tsʼukal — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Ukrainian: гортанна змичка (hortanna zmyčka) — plosive sound articulated with the glottis
  • Winnebago: hiyuša jikere — plosive sound articulated with the glottis