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Single Vowel Countries

Name all the countries in the world which only contain one unique vowel.
The vowel can be REPEATED multiple times
For example, "Abracadrabra" would work if it was the name of a country
Not counting the confusing case of Seychelles
In this quiz, you have to know whether Y is a vowel or not. Use this information wisely.
Quiz by guiztar73
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Last updated: December 17, 2022
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First submittedOctober 14, 2022
Times taken25,261
Average score57.9%
Rating4.43
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A
Bahamas
Canada
Chad
Ghana
Japan
Kazakhstan
A
Madagascar
Malta
Panama
Qatar
Rwanda
E
Greece
Sweden
Yemen
I
Fiji
O
Comoros
Kosovo
Morocco
Togo
D. R. Congo
Rep. of the Congo
+4
Level 89
Oct 14, 2022
Missing Madagascar.
+2
Level 72
Oct 18, 2022
Fixed. Thank you.
+9
Level 88
Nov 14, 2022
Myanmar. Y acts as a Y.
+9
Level 84
Dec 12, 2022
Me-an-mar. Looks like a vowel to me.
+8
Level 72
Dec 12, 2022
Myanmar is excluded as the Y is considered a vowel in this case.

The Y is considered a vowel if:

a) there is no other vowel (gym, cyst)

b) it is at the end of a word (any, cherry)

c) there are no other vowels in a particular syllable (bicycle, or... syllable)

+4
Level 55
Mar 10, 2023
Also, Egypt.
+1
Level 63
Apr 19, 2023
Because there is another vowel, it's not at the end of the word, and there is another vowel in the syllable. So Seychelles shouldn't be here.
+17
Level 77
Dec 12, 2022
The correct pronunciation of Myanmar only has “A” as a vowel. The actual pronunciation is something akin to muh-yan-mar, where muh isn’t actually a vowel sound, but the transition between the m and y consonant sounds. An alternate pronunciation is Mee-an-mar, but it’s not actually correct.
+4
Level 74
Mar 10, 2023
It's two syllables and the y acts as /j/, just as "mañana" could be written as /ma nja na/ (despite there being a grapheme, /ɲ/, for /nj/ in IPA).

In Burmese there's actually no /j/ sound in the word, it's more like "mran ma".

+1
Level 78
Mar 11, 2023
/ɲ/ is not the same as /nj/, perhaps similar, but not the same
+9
Level 56
Dec 22, 2022
(General American) IPA(key): /ˈmjɑnˌmɑɹ/, /ˌmjɑnˈmɑɹ/, /ˈmjænˌmɑɹ/

IPA(key): /ˌmjɑnˈmɑɹ/

(Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /mjænˈmɑː/, /ˈmjæn.mɑː/, /ˈmaɪ̯ænˌmɑː/

Only in one case would the "y" act as a vowel, in the other cases it acts as a semivowel (which is a type of consonant). IsleAuHaulte is correct. Claiming the "y" here acts as a vowel would be like saying "yes" is two vowels.

+6
Level 76
Dec 12, 2022
Isnt Seychelles rules out because of the Y?
+1
Level 77
Dec 12, 2022
Looks like the quiz maker doesn’t count Y as a vowel if it’s part of a diphthong. Merriam Webster’s article he seems to be basing his rules on clearly states that the “y” in a diphthong, like Seychelles, is a vowel, however.
+7
Level 72
Dec 13, 2022
I clarified my rules with a trusted quiz maker in the areas of grammar and English language conventions and the Y in Seychelles does indeed qualify as a vowel.

Murphy's Law states: The easiest way to learn something online is not to ask a question, but to assert an incorrect answer.

+1
Level 60
Mar 10, 2023
Sae shells, right?

Idk about a lot of country name pronunciations so

+2
Level 77
Dec 17, 2022
The English language is very complicated, especially in this case with the whole diphthong thing. That’s why as children we are told “sometimes Y” without any further explanation! Nice to see this quiz featured; now we can watch everyone argue about Y being a vowel. :)
+3
Level 82
Dec 19, 2022
I don't want to argue about whether Y is a vowel, but it would be helpful to specify in the description that Y may count as a vowel or a consonant depending on pronunciation. (After all, the natural interpretation would be that it depends only on spelling, since if you are talking about pronunciation many of these use two different vowel sounds.)
+1
Level 59
Dec 12, 2022
Egypt?
+1
Level ∞
Dec 17, 2022
Added that one, thanks.
+23
Level 68
Dec 17, 2022
Added it wrong cause I think Egypt might have an "E" in it
+11
Level ∞
Dec 17, 2022
Well that's certainly embarrassing for me. Fixed.
+9
Level 63
Dec 12, 2022
1/20, because I'm a complete idiot. I didn't read the instructions and so didn't realise that you could have multiple occurrences of the same vowel, so I got Chad and then spent 4 minutes thinking the quiz was trolling me.
+5
Level 58
Dec 17, 2022
You maybe should add Congo in a grey box ?
+2
Level 77
Dec 17, 2022
The O column is all out of order alphabetically.
+1
Level ∞
Dec 17, 2022
Fixed
+1
Level 78
Dec 18, 2022
The O column still isn`t fixed alphabetically.
+4
Level 82
Dec 17, 2022
Recommend clarifying in the instructions/bullets when Y counts.
+1
Level ∞
Dec 17, 2022
What specifically needs clarifying?
+7
Level 77
Dec 17, 2022
The only thing that probably could use clarification now is that the “Y” in Myanmar is not pronounced as a vowel. Many Western people (me included until I looked it up because of a Y quiz I created a few months back) pronounce it as “Mee”anmar, but if you look at Merriam Webster, it’s pronounced as a consonant. So maybe saying it’s excluded like Seychelles might be a good idea.
+2
Level 68
Dec 18, 2022
You know what fixypants means.

Whether or not "y" is a vowel is, at best, contested, and the conditions under which it "acts as a vowel" are not very commonly understood or agreed upon. This should be clarified in the caveats.

+3
Level 81
Dec 18, 2022
Agree. Kyrgyzstan is another.....

In the bullet points under the question, you could just list a bunch of exclusions like the Seychelles.

Myanmar, Egypt, Seychelles, Kyrgyzstan excluded because the y is treated as a vowel.

+2
Level 77
Dec 19, 2022
In fairness, if someone has no idea what a vowel is, it’d be difficult to teach them in the caveats. One way to think about it is that vowels are sounds that you can hold for an indefinite amount of time, that have no build up of pressure anywhere, and where your tongue touches nothing in your mouth. In Egypt and Kyrgyzstan, the Ys are blatantly vowels if you think of it this way. Anyway, I’m obviously needing out way too much about Y being a vowel!
+1
Level 77
Dec 19, 2022
**nerding out
+2
Level 83
Dec 17, 2022
How does Yemen count, but not Myanmar or Egypt?
+2
Level 77
Dec 17, 2022
AEIOU and *sometimes* Y. Y is a vowel in Egypt. It may or may not be in Myanmar, depending on pronunciation.
+2
Level 68
Dec 17, 2022
Why is Egypt excluded but Yemen included?
+8
Level 84
Dec 24, 2022
Ee-jipt. Y = vowel.

Yeh-men. Y = not vowel.

+3
Level 70
Dec 18, 2022
Be good to say something about “y” in the question

Cyprus, Egypt, Yemen 2 aren’t allowed and 1 is ?

+5
Level ∞
Dec 18, 2022
Yes, of course. What should be different?
+1
Level 74
Mar 10, 2023
Cyprus: /ˈsaɪ prəs/. The Y stands in for /aɪ/, which is a vowel.

Egypt: /ˈiː ʤɪpt/. The Y stands in for /iː/, which is a vowel.

Yemen: /ˈjɛ mən/. The Y stands in for /j/, which is not a vowel.

Seychelles: /seɪ ˈʃɛlz/. The Y stands in for /ɪ/, which is a vowel.

+1
Level 84
Mar 10, 2023
IPA works really well. We should have made English a phonetic language!
+4
Level 72
Dec 18, 2022
Great idea for a quiz.

Another vote for a clarification, or at least a mention that Y is sometimes counted and sometimes not, in the rules/bullet points. It is a tricky one, people will complain either way, but if you mention it in the rules and point out its complexity that at least pre warns people.

Cool quiz though.

+1
Level 67
Dec 19, 2022
Yemen doesn't count
+2
Level 82
Dec 19, 2022
Perhaps France should count, since the E doesn't act as a vowel (or modify the sound of another vowel) in this case.
+3
Level 77
Dec 19, 2022
A silent E is still a vowel. Typically, the silent E either modifies a vowel sound or it used to be pronounced and has just become silent. Either way, AEIOU are always vowels no matter what.
+2
Level 77
Dec 19, 2022
Great quiz!
+17
Level 75
Dec 19, 2022
What about Mozambique?
+1
Level 55
Mar 15, 2023
Lol
+1
Level 52
Dec 20, 2022
Funny to learn that there is such a strange rule in english with the letter Y. In my language, French, it is always considered a vowel
+2
Level 67
Jan 13, 2023
It's about the sound made. Yemen, or Yémen in French, is a good example. The pronunciation of the y sounds quite similar in both languages; the difference is that in French you could theoretically replace the y with the sound from an 'i' and it would sound quite similar. In English this would be closest to a double 'e' sound like in the word 'seen' but this doesn't work in English as the 'ee' sound is longer and less subtle. Some English speakers say that 'y is sometimes considered a vowel in English. Some say it that it is a consonant sometimes used as, or like, a vowel. I wouldn't say one is more correct than the other - I think an unambiguously correct way of of phrasing from both viewpoints is to say that it sometimes has a vowel sound. If the quiz-setter wanted to make the instructions clear and unambiguous they could change the caveat from 'In this quiz, you have to know whether Y is a vowel or not. Use this information wisely.' to 'y counts as a vowel where it has a vowel sound
+3
Level 76
Dec 21, 2022
Last one for me was Rwanda, I kept missing it because the w sounds like a vowel :D (and it is Ruanda in Italian, my language)
+2
Level 76
Dec 27, 2022
So I tend to agree with the removal of Y from this quiz, but with Y not being considered a vowel for the purposes of this quiz- Cyprus (only includes a U), Kyrgyzstan (only contains an A), the Seychelles (only contains an E), and Egypt (only contains an E) should be included. It doesn't make a lot of sense to include Y as a vowel to exclude some answers, but not as a vowel in it's own right.
+1
Level 76
Dec 27, 2022
I would also looking into including Myanmar/Burma, as Myanmar falls under the same rule as above (only contains A) but with the dual name, might want to include it as you did the ROC and DRC.
+1
Level 65
Oct 20, 2023
Y is a vowel in all of those examples.
+2
Level 81
Feb 8, 2023
Good quiz that. Surprisingly difficult. Missed Ghana and Madagascar.
+3
Level 56
Mar 10, 2023
Yet another vote for Myanmar being added. I pronounce it /mjæn.ma:/, not /mi:.æn.ma:/ or anything like that.
+1
Level 51
Mar 10, 2023
I can't be the only person to consistently leave out the country/city they live in when taking these!!
+1
Level 73
Mar 10, 2023
Cyprus? Only a U
+2
Level 62
Mar 10, 2023
And a vocalic Y.
+3
Level 75
Mar 10, 2023
I am 59 years old and been to University in the UK to study languages and I have NEVER heard of the letter Y being considered a vowel. Sounds like the same sort of nonsense that resulted in Pluto no longer being a planet, or is it just an American thing?
+1
Level 73
Mar 16, 2023
You must have been studying in all the wrong places. I was taught at primary school in Scotland that "y" could sometimes be considered as a vowel. So what do Americans consider it to be in words such as gym?
+1
Level 72
Mar 16, 2023
In America, the lesson is taught that the vowels are A,E,I,O,U, and sometimes Y.

The rules for when the Y is a vowel are thus:

The word has no other vowel, or

The letter is at the end of a word, or

The letter is in the middle of a syllable.

There are other, more esoteric rules involved as well, which are more or less to blame for some of the editorial decisions that were made on this quiz. The end goal was to be as accurate as possible while maintaining at least a uniform discussion framework for why things are or are not included.

+2
Level 65
Oct 20, 2023
I don't think I trust someone who still thinks that Pluto should be a planet...
+2
Level 74
Mar 10, 2023
I'm a linguist who's taught (UK) English and never heard of this Y-diphthong rule.

You might want to clarify in the bullets which ruleset you're using at the top: Y as a consonant (British Eng), Y as a vowel, or this diphthong rule.

+1
Level 68
Dec 4, 2023
Never underestimate the ability of Americans to insist that their way of doing things is how it's done everywhere, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
+1
Level 46
Apr 28, 2023
Missing Egypt if Yemen works
+1
Level ∞
Apr 28, 2023
Egypt has two vowels: E and Y.

Yemen has one: E.

Sometimes Y is a vowel, sometimes it's not.

+1
Level 45
Apr 28, 2023
Based on the rules you gave in a separate comment, Egypt and Kyrgyzstan should be on here
+2
Level ∞
Apr 28, 2023
Just double checked and I don't think so.
+1
Level 64
May 19, 2023
YE|MEN!!!!!!
+2
Level 72
May 19, 2023
Quizmaster- I'd be curious to know... as the creator of this quiz... Is this the most controversy/blowback you've seen from a single concept? If so, I offer my apology or my smug satisfaction. Whichever one will make your day better. Cheers.
+2
Level ∞
May 19, 2023
No this quiz was worse.
+2
Level 72
May 19, 2023
Holy *vulgar language* That's... impressive.
+1
Level 61
Feb 5, 2024
If "yemen" counts than surely "egypt" should count.