What is vocal fry? Definition and example in speaking

What it sounds like

Take the line "I'll send it over this afternoon." In fry, the pitch sinks on the last word and "afternoon" turns into a slow, rattly creak, like a door hinge or a stick dragged along a fence. The words are still there, but the sound gets quieter and rougher as the sentence ends.

It usually appears:

• on the last word or two of a sentence,
• when you're talking quietly or feel relaxed,
• when you're tired, or first thing in the morning,
• when you're running out of breath.

Why it happens

Your voice is made by the vocal folds vibrating as air passes through them. When pitch goes very low and there's little air pushing through, they vibrate slowly and unevenly, and you hear individual pops instead of a smooth tone. That's why fry often turns up as a sentence trails off: pitch is falling and the breath is nearly used up.

How listeners may hear it

In a quiet room, face to face, many listeners won't notice. On a phone line, a video call or a recording, the creaky part is quieter and less clear, so the ends of sentences, often where the key word sits, can be harder to catch. Some listeners also have strong opinions about fry; those say more about the listener than about your voice.

If you want your sentence endings to carry, take a breath before longer sentences and keep a little air for the last word. See how to breathe while speaking and how to project your voice.