You've probably spent a good chunk of your life thinking that the lump in the neck—the "Adam's apple"—is a strictly male trait. It’s one of those playground facts that sticks. Boys get them; girls don't. Simple, right? Well, actually, that’s not quite how human anatomy works. If you’re asking do women have an adams apple, the answer is a resounding yes. They do.
Every single human being born with a larynx has one. It’s just that on most women, it’s hiding in plain sight.
The "bump" isn't some extra bone that men grow during puberty like a spare tire. It’s actually just a specific part of your voice box. Specifically, it’s the thyroid cartilage. This cartilage acts like a protective shield for your vocal cords. Without it, your voice would be a mess and your airway would be incredibly vulnerable. Since women need to breathe and speak just as much as men do, they have the exact same hardware. The difference isn't about presence; it's about the angle of the dangle.
Why you can't always see the bump
During puberty, testosterone levels in boys skyrocket. This causes the larynx to grow significantly larger. As the larynx expands, the thyroid cartilage has to tilt forward to accommodate the growth. This creates a sharp, prominent angle—usually around 90 degrees in men. Think of it like a sharp "V" shape pushing against the skin of the neck.
Women go through puberty too, obviously, but without that massive testosterone surge, the larynx doesn't grow nearly as much. In women, the thyroid cartilage stays at a much wider angle, typically around 120 degrees. It's more like a gentle "U" or a flat curve.
Because the angle is wider, it doesn't poke out. It sits flat against the neck, buried under a slightly thicker layer of subcutaneous fat that women naturally carry in the neck area. So, even though the structure is there, it’s visually "silent."
The science of the larynx and vocal pitch
Dr. Ingo Titze, a renowned voice scientist and executive director of the National Center for Voice and Speech, has spent decades studying how these structures affect human communication. The size of the thyroid cartilage directly impacts the length of the vocal folds.
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Imagine a guitar.
The longer and thicker the strings, the lower the note. Because men’s Adam's apples grow larger and push outward, their vocal cords are stretched longer and grow thicker, leading to that characteristic deep voice. Women’s vocal cords remain shorter and thinner because their "housing unit" (the thyroid cartilage) didn't expand as much.
But here’s the kicker: some women naturally have larger thyroid cartilages. It can be genetic. It can be hormonal. Sometimes, it’s just the way the cards were dealt. In these cases, a woman might have a visible protrusion that looks exactly like what we’ve been told is a "male" feature. It doesn't mean she has "too much" testosterone or a medical "condition." It’s just a variation of normal human diversity.
When a prominent Adam's apple in women is a medical talking point
While having a visible bump is usually just a quirk of anatomy, there are times when it catches the eye of an endocrinologist. If a woman suddenly notices a new growth or a protrusion in that area, it might not be the Adam's apple at all.
It could be a goiter. That’s an enlargement of the thyroid gland, which sits right below the Adam's apple. Or it could be a thyroid nodule.
There are also hormonal conditions like Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) or adrenal hyperplasia. These can cause an increase in androgens (male hormones), which might lead to a slightly more pronounced larynx if the hormone shift happens early enough. But honestly, most of the time when you see a woman with a visible laryngeal prominence, it's just her natural bone structure.
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The psychology of the "Adam's Apple"
We call it an "Adam's apple" because of the old myth about the Garden of Eden—the idea that a piece of the forbidden fruit got stuck in Adam’s throat. It’s a gendered term for a non-gendered body part.
This naming convention creates a lot of weird social anxiety. I've talked to women who feel incredibly self-conscious about their necks, thinking it makes them look "masculine." On the flip side, some men with very small Adam's apples feel like they aren't "masculine" enough.
It’s all a bit silly when you realize we’re just talking about a piece of cartilage designed to keep you from choking on your lunch.
Famous examples and the "Chondrolaryngoplasty"
In the world of Hollywood and modeling, you'll actually see plenty of women with visible Adam's apples. Look at someone like Sandra Bullock or Meg Ryan in certain lighting—you can see the structure of the larynx. It hasn't hindered their careers or their status as feminine icons.
However, the visibility of this cartilage is a major focal point in gender-affirming healthcare. Transgender women often undergo a procedure called a "tracheal shave," or chondrolaryngoplasty.
This is a surgery where a specialist (usually an ENT or a plastic surgeon) literally shaves down the thyroid cartilage to reduce the "V" angle and make the neck appear smoother. It’s a delicate surgery. If you shave off too much, you can actually destabilize the vocal cords and permanently change the voice. It goes to show how vital that "bump" actually is to the mechanics of how we speak.
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Misconceptions that just won't die
Let's clear some things up.
- Do women have an adams apple? Yes. 100%.
- Does a big Adam's apple mean a deep voice? Usually, but not always. Resonance and vocal training matter a lot.
- Is it a bone? No. It's cartilage. It’s firm but flexible, like the stuff in your ears or the tip of your nose.
- Can it be broken? Yes, and it's a medical emergency because it can collapse your airway.
Identifying what you're actually seeing
If you’re looking in the mirror and wondering about that lump, here’s a quick guide to what’s what in the neck:
The top-most hard structure under your chin is the hyoid bone. It’s the only bone in the body not connected to another bone. Just below that is the thyroid cartilage—the Adam's apple. Below that is the cricoid cartilage, which feels like a small firm ring. And below that is the thyroid gland.
If you swallow and the lump moves up and down, that’s almost certainly your larynx/Adam's apple. That’s a normal functional movement. If you see a lump that stays still or feels "meaty" rather than firm, that’s when you should probably mention it to a doctor at your next check-up.
Moving past the myth
We need to stop treating the Adam's apple as a binary trait. Anatomy is a spectrum. There are men with tiny, invisible voice boxes and women with sharp, prominent ones.
The idea that this part of the body belongs to one gender is a cultural leftover, not a biological reality. Whether it sticks out or stays hidden, that cartilage is doing the heavy lifting of protecting your airway every time you take a breath.
Check your neck for health, not just aesthetics. If you notice a sudden change in the shape of your neck or your voice becomes persistently hoarse, don't worry about the "Adam's apple" aspect—worry about the underlying structures. Schedule an appointment with an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist) to rule out nodules or thyroid issues. Otherwise, embrace the bump; it's the reason you have a voice.
Next Steps for You:
- Perform a swallow test: Stand in front of a mirror and swallow. Watch how the structures move. This helps you identify your own anatomy.
- Palpate gently: Feel the area to distinguish between the firm cartilage of the larynx and the softer tissue of the thyroid gland below it.
- Monitor changes: If you’re a woman who feels her Adam's apple is becoming more prominent along with hair growth or voice changes, ask your doctor for a simple hormone panel to check androgen levels.