Fach (German)  Literally, job specialty.  It is used to indicate voice classification.  For example, lyric soprano and dramatic soprano are different fachs

false vocal folds  Folds of tissue located slightly higher than and parallel to the vocal folds in the larynx.  These folds take no part in the act of phonation

falsetto  High, light register, applied primarily to men’s voices singing in the soprano or alto range.  Can also be applied to women’s voices

F₀  Fundamental Frequency.  An acoustic measure that directly reflects the vibrating rate of the vocal folds.  The component in the vocal fold tone with the lowest frequency

formant  See singer’s formant

fricative  A speech sound produced by a constriction of the vocal tract, particularly by directing the airstream against a hard surface, producing noisy air turbulence.  Some examples are f, s and th

functional voice disorder  An abnormality in voice sound and function in the absence of an anatomic or physiologic organic abnormality

fundamental  Lowest partial of a spectrum, the frequency of which normally corresponds to the pitch perceived