system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: When we ‘lose’ our voice, like during a cold, what actually happens to our vocal cords?
gpt
Generally when you lose your voice the reason is your vocal chords are inflammed. Inflammation = swelling. When the vocal chords are swollen they become a different shape & that alters the sound that they make (or don't make if it's bad enough) when you try to talk because the way they move the air is different.