# backness

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈbæk.nɪs/

## Definitions
1. Quality of being a back vowel.
2. A quality of vowels, indicating the horizontal position of the tongue relative to the back of the mouth (front, near-front, central, near-back, or back).

## Etymology
From back + -ness.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/backness