The larynx is a short passageway shaped like a triangle that is surrounded by the base of the tongue and the hypopharynx in the neck. The pharynx is a hollow tube about 5 inches long that starts behind the nose and goes down to the neck to become part of the esophagus, the tube that goes to the stomach.
Food passes through the pharynx on the way to the esophagus.
The larynx has a small piece of tissue over it, called the epiglottis, to keep food from going into it or the air passages. The larynx contains the vocal cords, which vibrate and make sound when air is directed against them. The sound echoes through the pharynx, mouth, and nose to make a person's voice. The muscles in the pharynx, face, tongue, and lips help people form words with sounds to make them understandable. The subglottis connects to the trachea, which takes air to the lungs.