The voicebox, or larynx, is a tube-shaped structure, about 5cm (2in) long, 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. There are three main parts to the larynx.

• The supraglottis is the area above the vocal cords.
• The glottis is the area containing the vocal cords.
• The subglottis is below the vocal cords.

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:

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