Everyone has an Adam’s apple (the laryngeal prominence), but it is usually larger in men because the voice box grows during puberty.
Everyone has one
The Adam’s apple (laryngeal prominence) is the front of the thyroid cartilage that protects the larynx.
Why bigger in men
During puberty, testosterone enlarges the larynx. The angle of the thyroid cartilage is sharper in men (90 degrees vs 120 degrees in women).
Voice
A bigger larynx makes the voice deeper.
Name
It comes from the story of Adam and Eve.
Function
Protects the vocal cords.
Anatomy
Everyone has an Adam’s apple. It is the laryngeal prominence, the front angle of the thyroid cartilage that protects the larynx and vocal cords. The two thyroid cartilage plates meet at an angle of about 90 degrees in males and about 120 degrees in females, making it more visible in males.
- During puberty, testosterone enlarges the larynx and lengthens the vocal folds by about 60 percent in males, dropping the voice by about an octave.
- Male vocal folds average 17 to 25 mm and female 12.5 to 17.5 mm.
- Typical fundamental voice pitch is around 85 to 180 Hz in men and 165 to 255 Hz in women.
Name and function
The name comes from a biblical story of the forbidden fruit stuck in Adam’s throat, a folk explanation. The cartilage protects the vocal folds and airway. Surgery called chondrolaryngoplasty (tracheal shave) can reduce its size for transgender women, and the prominence can also be increased for transgender men. A new lump in the front of the neck should be checked by a doctor, since thyroid nodules occur in this area.
Anatomy
The Adam’s apple is the thyroid cartilage that protects the larynx and vocal cords. During puberty, testosterone enlarges the larynx, causing the cartilage to protrude more in males, with the voice deepening. Women have it too but less prominent.
Name and function
The name comes from the biblical story of Adam, though there is no scripture link. Vocal cord length grows about 60 percent in males during puberty. Pain or lumps there should be examined.
Puberty and voice
During puberty, testosterone causes the larynx to grow and the thyroid cartilage angle to be about 90 degrees in males and 120 degrees in females. The vocal folds lengthen from about 12 mm to 17 to 25 mm, lowering pitch by about an octave. The voice change occurs over months.
Variation and clinical notes
Adam’s apple prominence varies with body build and genetics. Some transgender women undergo a tracheal shave to reduce it. A neck lump that moves with swallowing may be a thyroid nodule, and about 5 to 10 percent of thyroid nodules are cancerous. Pain over the larynx after injury should be evaluated promptly.
Based on data from the Cleveland Clinic and the American Thyroid Association
