What are the most commonly used vowels?

It's tough to definitively say which vowels are *most* common globally, as it depends on the language you're looking at. However, some vowels are consistently found in many languages and are often considered to be among the most common:

* The "short" vowels /ɪ, ʊ, æ, ʌ, ə/: These are often considered the most basic vowels, found in many languages with different symbols.

* The "long" vowels /i, u, e, o, a/: These are also common, though their exact pronunciation can vary across languages.

Here's a breakdown of these vowels with some examples:

Short vowels:

* /ɪ/: "kit", "bid", "fish"

* /ʊ/: "put", "book", "foot"

* /æ/: "cat", "hat", "bad"

* /ʌ/: "cut", "hut", "love"

* /ə/: "about", "sofa", "the" (the "schwa" sound)

Long vowels:

* /i/: "see", "tree", "machine"

* /u/: "shoe", "moon", "food"

* /e/: "say", "they", "day"

* /o/: "go", "toe", "boat"

* /a/: "father", "car", "start"

Keep in mind:

* Regional variations: The pronunciation of these vowels can vary depending on the language and dialect.

* Diphthongs: Some languages also use diphthongs, which are combinations of two vowels, such as "oi" in "boy" or "ow" in "cow".

Ultimately, the most common vowels will vary depending on the language and the specific dataset used to analyze vowel frequencies.