Mixe has phonology is remarkable due to its complex system of vowel duration contrasts in addition to glottalization.
There is a palatalized series of all consonant phonemes (as in Russian, or Irish) and possibly a fortis/lenis distinction in the plosive series, the recognition of which however is obscured by a tendency towards allophonic voicing of consonants in voiced environments.
Palatalized sounds /tsʲ, nʲ/ can also have allophones as [tʃ, ɲ] in free variation.
Sounds /p, t̪, k/ occur as [β, d̪, ɡ] in intervocalic position.
The table below illustrates the vowel phonemes for Ayöök, orthographic symbols on the left.