Turn ['a', 'i', 'u', 'e', 'o'].contains(c) into: 1 - inline: char arr[] = { 'a', 'i', 'u', 'e', 'o' }; for(int i = 0; i < 5; ++i) { if(arr[i] == c) return true; } return false; 2 - constant loop unrolling: if('a' == c) return true; if('i' == c) return true; if('u' == c) return true; if('e' == c) return true; if('o' == c) return true; return false; 3 - multiple comparisons to same variable turned into a switch: switch(c) { case 'a': case 'i': case 'u': case 'e': case 'o': return true; } return false;