Meaning & use
larynx
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Meaning
nouncountablemedical
The part of the throat, between the windpipe and the back of the tongue, that holds the vocal cords and lets us make sounds.
Grammar: Plural is larynges or larynxes: doctors examined both larynges.
Patterns
- the larynx of someone
- a cancer of the larynx
The doctor examined her larynx with a small camera.
Your larynx moves up when you swallow.
He lost his voice after an infection inflamed his larynx.
Word forms
| plural | larynges |
|---|---|
| plural (alternative) | larynxes |
Common combinations
- inflamed larynx
- An inflamed larynx can make you hoarse.
- cancer of the larynx
- Smoking increases the risk of cancer of the larynx.
- damage the larynx
- Shouting for hours can damage the larynx.
- the muscles of the larynx
- Singers train the muscles of the larynx.
- examine the larynx
- The specialist used a mirror to examine the larynx.
Synonyms and how they differ
- voice box
- Voice box is the everyday term for the larynx and is more common in casual talk.
- Adam's apple
- Adam's apple is the bulge at the front of the larynx, so it names only the visible outside part.
Word family
- laryngeal adjective
- relating to the larynx
- laryngitis noun
- an illness in which the larynx becomes sore and the voice is lost
- laryngectomy noun
- surgery to remove the larynx
- laryngologist noun
- a doctor who treats throat disorders
Commonly confused: larynx or pharynx?
larynx vs pharynx
The pharynx is the passage at the back of the mouth and nose above the larynx, while the larynx contains the vocal cords.
Practice
The vocal cords are found inside the ____.
Choose one answer.
The vocal cords sit in the larynx. The pharynx is the throat passage above it, the esophagus carries food, and the trachea is the windpipe below.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “larynx”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.