Bifid uvula

How it works

The uvula is the small teardrop of soft tissue that hangs from the back edge of the soft palate. It helps seal the nose off from the mouth during swallowing and speech, and it adds saliva to the throat¹. A bifid uvula is split down the middle into two lobes, anywhere from a small notch at the tip to a full division¹.

The palate forms in the embryo from two shelves of tissue that grow toward each other and fuse from front to back. The uvula is the last part to join². If fusion stops just short of finishing, the uvula is left with a split. That makes bifid uvula the mildest possible form of cleft palate².

Between 1% and 2% of people have one¹. It is much more common in some populations, reaching about 10% in some Native American groups¹. It often runs in families.

Try it

1. Stand in front of a mirror in good light, or use a torch.
2. Open wide and say “ah”. This lifts the soft palate and shows the uvula.
3. Look at the tip of the uvula. A bifid uvula has a notch, a Y shape, or two separate hanging lobes.
4. If you cannot see well, ask someone else to look while you say “ah”.

Is it a problem?

In an older child or adult, almost never. A split uvula does its job as well as a single one. Some people with one snore slightly more, and there is no other effect¹.

In a baby, a bifid uvula deserves a proper look. It can be the only visible sign of a submucous cleft palate, a gap in the muscle of the soft palate hidden under an intact lining². That can cause milk to come out of the nose during feeds, ear infections, and later a nasal-sounding voice³. A doctor checks by feeling the soft palate for a notch and by watching how it moves. If the palate is intact and the child feeds well, nothing further is needed.