shwa

UK: /ʃwɑː/ US: (shwä)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

shwa  (shwä), n. 

1. Phonetics schwa.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

shwa / ʃwɑː/ noun

1. a variant spelling of schwa

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

schwa /ʃwɑ/   n. [countable] , pl. schwas 

1. Phonetics a neutral vowel sound typically occurring in unstressed syllables in English, such as the sound of a in alone and sofa or u in circus.
2. Phonetics the phonetic symbol ə, used to represent this sound.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

schwa  (shwä), n. [Phonet.]

1. Phonetics the mid-central, neutral vowel sound typically occurring in unstressed syllables in English, however spelled, as the sound of a in alone and sofa, e in system, i in easily, o in gallop, u in circus.
2. Phonetics the phonetic symbol ə, used to represent this sound.

Also, shwa. 

• Hebrew shəwā, name of a diacritic marking schwa or no vowel
• German
• 1890–95

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

schwa, shwa / ʃwɑː/ noun

1. a central vowel represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet by ( ə ). The sound occurs in unstressed syllables in English, as in around, mother, and sofa
2. the symbol ( ə ) used to represent this sound

Etymology: 19th Century: via German from Hebrew shewā, a diacritic indicating lack of a vowel sound