The soft palate (or velum, or muscular palate), is the soft tissue comprising the back of the roof of the mouth. It is movable, consisting of muscle fibers sheathed in mucous membrane, and is responsible for closing off the nasal passages during the act of swallowing. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone.
The soft palate's motion during breathing is responsible for the sound of snoring. Touching the soft palate evokes a strong gag response in most people.
The soft palate also functions during speech to separate the oral cavity (mouth) from the nose, in order to produce the oral speech sounds. If this separation is incomplete, air escapes through the nose during speech and the speech is perceived as hypernasal.
