The Hebrew consonants yod [y] and vov [w] sound somewhat vowel-like even though they are technically consonants. (Similarly, in English the y in baby is a vowel, but in ye it is a consonant. And the w in way is a consonant, but in bow it is a vowel.) Yod and vov are sometimes joined with vowel signs and pronounced as a part of the vowel rather than as a consonant.