What does guttural mean?
Guttural describes a sound that is made in the throat or back of the mouth, often with a rough, deep, or resonant quality. Applied to a voice, it can indicate a gravelly, throaty, or difficult-to-understand manner of speaking; applied to a consonant, it is a technical term for a sound articulated toward the back of the tongue. As a noun, a guttural is a sound produced in the throat, especially one of several consonants distinguished by that articulation. The word is useful because it captures a distinct acoustic feature that “rough,” “deep,” and “resonant” describe only partly. In ordinary speech, its use can sound critical when it characterizes someone’s voice, accent, or language, whereas linguists generally employ it descriptively and without judgment.
Produced or sounded in the throat, often with a rough, resonant, or gravelly quality; in linguistics, articulated at the back of the tongue.
"The recording was dominated by a deep, guttural voice."
Technical use in linguistics is neutral; descriptive use about a voice or accent can be disparaging.
A throaty or resonant sound, especially a consonant articulated at the back of the tongue.
"The phonetics student practiced producing the gutturals of the language."
The plural is “gutturals.”
Used for individual throaty sounds or, in linguistics, for consonants articulated at the back of the tongue.
"The professor compared the gutturals in several languages."
The word comes from the Latin guttur, meaning “throat,” and can describe both a famously gravelly voice and some of the deepest consonants in the human speech system.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How guttural is actually used
In general usage, “guttural” can suggest that a voice is rough, indistinct, or unpleasant to hear and may sound disparaging when applied to a person’s speech or accent. In linguistics, it is a technical term for sounds articulated at the back of the mouth and is used neutrally.