trill

/trɪl/

/trɪl/

Other forms: trills; trilling; trilled

If you're fluent in Spanish, you are probably able to speak with a trill, or a fluttering r sound.

Many languages include a trill in their pronunciation, the sound of a consonant spoken while the tongue vibrates in a very specific way against the teeth or roof of the mouth. To pronounce this sound is also to trill. The word originally referred to a vibrating or warbling sound made by a singer, from the Italian word trillio, "a quavering or warbling," and it's also often used to describe the sound a bird makes.

Definitions of trill

1. noun

   a note that alternates rapidly with another note a semitone above it
   synonyms: shake

   type of:

   musical note, note, tone

   a notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound
2. noun

   the articulation of a consonant (especially the consonant `r') with a rapid flutter of the tongue against the palate or uvula
   “he pronounced his R's with a distinct trill”

   type of:

   articulation

   the aspect of pronunciation that involves bringing articulatory organs together so as to shape the sounds of speech
3. verb

   sing or play with trills, alternating with the half note above or below
   synonyms: quaver, warble

   type of:

   sing

   produce tones with the voice
4. verb

   pronounce with a trill, of the phoneme `r'
   “Some speakers trill their r's”

   type of:

   articulate, enounce, enunciate, pronounce, say, sound out

   speak, pronounce, or utter in a certain way