The pharynx is the region of the body between the uvula (punch-bag shaped structure at the back of the throat) and the larynx (or voice box). It is roughly equivalent to the commonly used term, "throat."

The pharynx is the most important resonator involved in vocal resonance. It is the first cavity of any size through which the product of the laryngeal vibrator – phonation – passes, so that the other supraglottal cavities (including the oral cavity, nasal cavity, and sinuses) have to accept whatever the pharynx passes on to them.