• 17 parts
  • Checked October 2026

Swallowing Anatomy and Physiology Quiz

Name the parts that move food from the lips to the stomach, one phase of a swallow at a time.

Swallowing Anatomy and Physiology Quiz

Name Date

Tap the hard palate

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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Tongue
  2. Lips
  3. Bolus
  4. Hard palate
  5. Soft palate
  6. Valleculae
  7. Epiglottis
  8. Larynx
  9. Base of the tongue
  10. Pharyngeal constrictors
  11. Upper esophageal sphincter
  12. Hyoid bone
  13. Vocal folds
  14. Esophagus
  15. Peristaltic wave
  16. Lower esophageal sphincter
  17. Stomach

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the larynx, cartilage by cartilage

All 17 parts on the diagram

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Oral phase 6

  1. Tongue Gathers the food into a bolus. Then it presses the bolus back against the palate.
  2. Lips Close to keep food in the mouth.
  3. Bolus The ball of chewed food, ready to be swallowed.
  4. Hard palate The bony roof of the mouth. The tongue presses the bolus against it.
  5. Soft palate Hangs down at rest. It rises in a swallow to shut off the nose.
  6. Valleculae Pockets between the tongue base and the epiglottis.

Pharyngeal phase 7

  1. Epiglottis Tips down over the entrance of the larynx.
  2. Larynx Rises and moves forward, out of the bolus's path.
  3. Base of the tongue Pushes back against the throat wall to drive the bolus down.
  4. Pharyngeal constrictors Squeeze in turn behind the bolus and push it down.
  5. Upper esophageal sphincter Opens to let the bolus into the esophagus.
  6. Hyoid bone Moves up and forward, and lifts the larynx with it.
  7. Vocal folds Come together and shut the airway.

Esophageal phase 4

  1. Esophagus A muscular tube. It carries the bolus to the stomach.
  2. Peristaltic wave A ring of contraction that travels down behind the bolus.
  3. Lower esophageal sphincter Relaxes to let the bolus into the stomach.
  4. Stomach Receives the bolus. The swallow ends here.

How this list was compiled: Every name and every event checked on 2026-10-03 in at least two of these. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Swallowing, Epiglottis, Pharynx and Esophagus, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swallowing . (2) Henry Gray, Anatomy of the Human Body, 1918, public domain, the sections on the fauces, the pharynx, the larynx and the esophagus, https://theodora.com/anatomy/the_pharynx.html : the bolus is driven back by the tongue against the hard palate, the base of the tongue retracted and the larynx raised with the pharynx; the constrictors contract upon the bolus and convey it into the esophagus; the valleculae lie between the epiglottis and the root of the tongue. (3) An open physiology review, Physiology of oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal motility, 2006, https://www.nature.com/gimo/contents/pt1/full/gimo1.html : the oral, pharyngeal and esophageal phases; the soft palate seals off the nasopharynx, the vocal cords close, the epiglottis swings down, the hyoid bone and larynx move up and forward, and the bolus passes the open upper esophageal sphincter. (4) SEER Training Modules, National Cancer Institute, Mouth, Pharynx and Esophagus, and Larynx, https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/digestive/regions/pharynx.html . (5) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Your Digestive System and How It Works, https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/digestive-diseases/digestive-system-how-it-works : peristalsis in the esophagus and the lower esophageal sphincter. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-03 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

One swallow drawn three times: the bolus held in the mouth, passing through the throat, and carried down the esophagus. Find each part on the drawing; after each answer one line says what the part does in that phase.

Read the full guide

Mouth and throat

In the oral preparatory phase food is chewed and gathered into a bolus. In the oral phase the tongue presses the bolus back against the hard palate. In the pharyngeal phase the soft palate rises, the hyoid bone and larynx move up and forward, the vocal folds close and the epiglottis tips down over the airway.

Down the esophagus

The pharyngeal constrictors squeeze behind the bolus and the upper esophageal sphincter opens. In the esophageal phase a peristaltic wave carries the bolus down, and the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes to let it into the stomach.

  • The oral phase is voluntary; the pharyngeal and esophageal phases run as a reflex.
  • UES and LES are accepted for the two sphincters.

Questions and answers

What are the phases of swallowing?

Oral, pharyngeal and esophageal. The oral phase starts with an oral preparatory phase, when food is chewed and formed into a bolus; then the tongue sends the bolus back toward the throat.

What does the epiglottis do during swallowing?

It tips down over the entrance of the larynx, so the bolus is steered past the airway and into the esophagus. The vocal folds close as well.

What are the valleculae?

Two small pockets between the base of the tongue and the epiglottis, one on each side of a fold in the middle. In a drawing cut down the middle they show as one pocket.

Which phases of swallowing are voluntary?

The oral phase is under voluntary control. The pharyngeal and esophageal phases are a reflex: once the bolus reaches the throat, the rest of the swallow runs by itself.

What is the upper esophageal sphincter?

A ring of muscle at the top of the esophagus, continuous with the lowest pharyngeal constrictor. It stays closed between swallows and opens to let the bolus through.

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