The larynx

The larynx, or voice box, is a 2in (5cm) tube-shaped structure which sits at the entrance to the windpipe (trachea). It can be seen, or felt, as the normal lump in the front of the neck known as the ‘Adam’s apple’. Air breathed in through the nose and mouth is warmed and moistened, and then passes through the larynx and down the windpipe to the lungs.

The larynx has some important functions:

• It allows the air breathed in to reach the lungs.
• It acts as a valve which closes to prevent food and drink entering the windpipe when you swallow.
• It contains the two vocal cords, which vibrate together when air passes between them, to produce the sound of the voice.