In [[phonetics]], vowel roundedness is a feature that describes whether the lips are rounded or spread when producing a vowel sound. Rounded vowels are produced with rounded lips, while unrounded vowels are produced with spread lips. This feature is particularly important in distinguishing between different vowel sounds in many languages, including English, French, and German. In phonetic transcription, a rounded vowel is typically indicated by adding a small circle (◌̹) underneath the vowel symbol.