The letter y is unusual in English because it can represent more than one kind of sound. Often, it works as a consonant, as in yes and yellow, where it has the sound heard at the start of those words.
But y can also act as a vowel. A vowel is a speech sound made without blocking the airflow, and in many words, y represents that kind of sound. In myth and gym, the y has the same vowel sound you hear in sit. In happy, the final y sounds like the vowel in see.
A simple way to think about it is this: if y is doing the job of a vowel sound, it is acting like a vowel. If it begins a word with the y sound, it is acting like a consonant.
- Consonant use: yes, yard, beyond
- Vowel use: myth, rhythm, gym, happy, cry
This is why many school rules say that a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y are the vowels. The word sometimes matters because y depends on the sound it represents in each word.