English has vowel harmony.

the verdict

CONTESTED PARTIAL

Recorded sources

2 sources for · 2 against

Counts group repeated records of the same source within each side. They do not measure evidence strength or source independence.

Is it true that English has vowel harmony?

Partly. Sources disagree in part: one peer-reviewed paper and a forum answer note marginal vowel-harmony-like effects in English (or its Buchan Scots dialect), while another paper and an infant-study description characterize English as a language without vowel harmony. None settles the general claim outright.

Verdict: CONTESTED PARTIAL · 2 sources for, 2 against · Last checked 18 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Evidence for · 2

Vowel harmony in Buchan Scots English

2002

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Vowel harmony in Buchan Scots English. (2002). doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1360674302001041

Evidence against · 2

Change in Buchan vowel harmony

2022

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Schindelman, D. (2022). Change in Buchan vowel harmony. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.2218/pihph.7.2022.8912

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More for · 1

linguistics - Doesn't English have vowel harmony?

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linguistics - Doesn't English have vowel harmony?. (n.d.). english.stackexchange.com. https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/364388/doesnt-english-have-vowel-harmony

More against · 1

Infants' sensitivity to vowel harmony and its role in segmenting speech.

2018

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Mintz, T. H., Walker, R. L., Welday, A., & Kidd, C. (2018). Infants' sensitivity to vowel harmony and its role in segmenting speech.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2017.10.020

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held for human review18 Oct 2026

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