What are vocal folds?

Vocal folds are like strings inside your voice that help you talk and sing.

Imagine you have a toy xylophone. When you hit the bars with mallets, they vibrate, that’s how music comes out. Your vocal folds work in a similar way, but inside your throat. They’re made of soft, stretchy tissue that can vibrate really fast when air from your lungs pushes through them.

When you want to speak or sing, air from your lungs goes up through your windpipe and hits the vocal folds. If they're closed just right, the air makes them buzz, this buzzing is what turns into sound!

Think of it like blowing across the top of a bottle. The air makes a whooshing noise because it’s making the air inside vibrate. Your vocal folds do something similar, but much faster and more controlled.

Your vocal folds can change how your voice sounds, high or low, loud or soft. When they vibrate quickly, you get a higher pitch; when they vibrate slowly, you get a lower one. That’s why singers can hit those cool notes!