Your glottis is in the center of your larynx (voice box). It’s located in between the supraglottis (above) and the subglottis (below). It’s the region within your voice box that contains your vocal cords (vocal folds). Your glottis helps you breathe, speak and make sounds in general.
Your glottis is the middle region inside your larynx (voice box) that’s made up of your vocal folds (vocal cords), the space between them and the cartilages that move them.
Most people think of the larynx primarily as the box that houses the two muscular bands of tissue responsible for your voice — your vocal folds. But of all the parts that make up the larynx, only the glottis contains your vocal cords. It’s thanks in part to your glottis (and the vocal cords within) that you’re able to speak and communicate in sounds others recognize as you.
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Your glottis is an important part of your airway that houses your vocal cords. Your voice can’t make sounds unless your vocal cords come together and are blown into vibration by airflow. These elements come together within your glottis.
Your glottis:
Attempting a glottal stop can help you experience how your glottis helps you speak. Most sounds start in your glottis and develop more unique qualities as they pass through the space above your glottis and into sinuses and your mouth. But with a glottal stop, the sound starts and stops in your glottis.
To do a glottal stop, you break up the airflow in your glottis while you’re making a vowel sound. Imagine saying “uh-oh” or pronouncing the word “city” without pronouncing the “t.” When you do this, your vocal cords vibrate when you start the word and shut quickly in the middle (after the “uh” in uh-oh or the “ci” in city when you don’t pronounce the “t”). You stop the sound in your glottis. Now, say “city,” but pronounce the “t,” so you’re avoiding a glottal stop.
Note the difference between how the words feel and sound when they stop in your glottis versus how you experience them without the glottal stop.
Your glottis is behind your Adam’s apple (the notch of the thyroid cartilage). It’s in between the top region of your larynx (the supraglottis) and the bottom region (the subglottis).
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The glottis includes two primary structures: your vocal cords and the opening between them, the rima glottidis.
Your glottis also contains cartilage, ligaments and muscles that support your vocal cords and allow you to move them. Although the size and weight of your vocal cords are primarily responsible for your pitch, how you position them plays a role, too. These muscles can become more tense or relaxed for different styles of speaking and singing (for example, mimicking a breathy voice or belting out a tune).
If you were to look directly down on your glottis, it may remind you of a cat’s eye. Imagine the rima glottidis as the spindle-like pupil (black opening of your eye) and the vocal cords as the symmetrical left and right sides of the pupil.
Your glottis looks different depending on whether your rima glottidis is opened or closed. When it’s closed, your vocal cords come together to form a slit. When the rima glottidis is opened, you’ll see a V-shape, with your vocal cords making up the left and right sides of the “V.”
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Conditions and disorders that may affect your glottis include:
Conditions that affect your vocal cords also affect your glottis. These include:
Signs and symptoms of a condition affecting your glottis include:
Depending on your symptoms, you may need to see a specialist to diagnose disorders affecting your glottis. Providers include laryngologists (specialized ENTs who treat conditions affecting your voice box) and specialized speech-language pathologists (SLPs).
Tests you may need include:
Common treatments include:
Taking care of your glottis mostly involves taking steps to protect your vocal cords. You should:
A note from Cleveland Clinic
The idea of a “voice box” may sound simple, but your larynx is actually a complex structure with several parts, including the glottis. Knowing about your glottis can help you understand more about how your vocal cords work. It can help you care for them. Your glottis may only make up a tiny portion of your throat, but it plays a major role in helping you breathe, speak and sound like you.
Last reviewed on 03/20/2024.
Learn more about the Health Library and our editorial process.
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Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy