trills Definition
- 1a quavering or vibratory sound, especially a rapid alternation of sung or played notes.
- 2a consonantal sound produced by the vibration of the tongue against the hard ridge behind the upper teeth (as in 'r' in some languages, including Spanish and Italian)
Using trills: Examples
Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how "trills" can be used in various situations through the following examples!
Example
The bird's trills echoed through the forest.
Example
She added trills to the end of the song.
Example
The Spanish language has a rolled trill sound in some words.
trills Synonyms and Antonyms
Phrases with trills
a vocal exercise that involves blowing air through closed lips while humming, producing a trilling sound
Example
The singer warmed up with lip trills before the performance.
a vocal exercise that involves vibrating the tongue against the roof of the mouth, producing a trilling sound
Example
The language teacher taught the students how to produce the tongue trill sound in Spanish.
rolled r trill
a consonantal sound produced by vibrating the tongue against the hard ridge behind the upper teeth, as in the Spanish word 'perro'
Example
The Spanish language has a rolled r trill sound in some words.
Summary: trills in Brief
The term 'trills' [trɪlz] refers to a quavering or vibratory sound, often used in music to describe a rapid alternation of notes. It also refers to a consonantal sound produced by the vibration of the tongue against the hard ridge behind the upper teeth, as in some languages like Spanish and Italian. 'Trills' extends into phrases like 'lip trill,' a vocal exercise that involves blowing air through closed lips while humming, and 'tongue trill,' a vocal exercise that involves vibrating the tongue against the roof of the mouth.