Sound vs. Voice — What's the Difference?

A type of energy made by vibrations, which travels through air or another medium and can be heard when it reaches a person's or animal's ear.

The sound produced in a person's larynx and uttered through the mouth, as speech or song.

Characterized by frequency, amplitude, and timbre.

Can convey complex information and emotion through speech and singing.

Used in various fields, including music, communication technology, and acoustical engineering.

Primarily used for spoken language, unique to humans and some animals.

Can be produced by anything that vibrates, from a musical instrument to the rustling of leaves.

Subject to health issues and improvements through training and therapy.

Requires a medium to travel through and an auditory system to perceive.

Result of airflow from the lungs, vibration of the vocal cords, and modulation by the articulators.

A vibration capable of causing such sensations.

To clamor; to cry out.

In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the reception of such waves and their perception by the brain.

The sound produced by the vocal organs of a vertebrate, especially a human.

Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing.

The ability to produce such sounds

Transmitted vibrations of any frequency.

The mind as it produces verbal thoughts

The sensation stimulated in the organs of hearing by such vibrations in the air or other medium.

A specified quality, condition, or pitch of vocal sound

Such sensations considered as a group.

(Linguistics) Expiration of air through vibrating vocal cords, used in the production of vowels and voiced consonants.

A distinctive noise

A sound resembling or reminiscent of vocal utterance

The distance over which something can be heard

Musical sound produced by vibration of the human vocal cords and resonated within the throat and head cavities.

An articulation made by the vocal apparatus

The quality or condition of a person's singing

The distinctive character of such an articulation

A singer

A mental impression; an implication

One of the individual vocal or instrumental parts or strands in a composition

Auditory material that is recorded, as for a movie.

Expression; utterance

Meaningless noise.

A medium or agency of expression

(Music) A distinctive style, as of an orchestra or singer.

The right or opportunity to express a choice or opinion

(Archaic) Rumor; report.

(Grammar) A property of verbs or a set of verb inflections indicating the relation between the subject and the action expressed by the verb

A long, relatively wide body of water, larger than a strait or a channel, connecting larger bodies of water.

The distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or of a character in a book.

A long, wide ocean inlet.

To give expression to; utter

(Archaic) The swim bladder of a fish.

(Linguistics) To pronounce with vibration of the vocal cords.

An instrument used to examine or explore body cavities, as for foreign bodies or other abnormalities, or to dilate strictures in them.

To provide (a composition) with voice parts.

To make or give forth a sound

To regulate the tone of (the pipes of an organ, for example).

To be given forth as a sound

To provide the voice for (a cartoon character or show, for example)

To present a particular impression

Sound uttered by the mouth, especially by human beings in speech or song; sound thus uttered considered as possessing some special quality or character

To cause to give forth or produce a sound

(phonetics) Sound made through vibration of the vocal cords; sonant, or intonated, utterance; tone; — distinguished from mere breath sound as heard in whispering and voiceless consonants.

To summon, announce, or signal by a sound

The tone or sound emitted by an object

(Linguistics) To articulate; pronounce

The faculty or power of utterance

To make known; celebrate

That which is communicated; message; meaning.

To examine (a body organ or part) by causing to emit sound; auscultate.

An expressed opinion, choice, will, desire, or wish; the right or ability to make such expression or to have it considered

To measure the depth of (water), especially by means of a weighted line; fathom.

(archaic) Command; precept.

To try to learn the attitudes or opinions of

One who speaks; a speaker.

To probe (a body cavity) with a sound.

(literature) A particular style or way of writing that expresses a certain tone or feeling.

To measure depth.

(grammar) A particular way of inflecting or conjugating verbs, or a particular form of a verb, by means of which is indicated the relation of the subject of the verb to the action which the verb expresses.

To dive swiftly downward. Used of a marine mammal or a fish.

(music) In harmony, an independent vocal or instrumental part in a piece of composition.

To look into a possibility; investigate.

A flag associated with a user on a channel, determining whether or not they can send messages to the channel.

Free from defect, decay, or damage; in good condition

(transitive) To give utterance or expression to; to utter; to publish; to announce

Free from disease or injury.

To utter audibly, with tone and not just breath.

Marked by or showing common sense and good judgment; levelheaded

(transitive) To fit for producing the proper sounds; to regulate the tone of

Based on valid reasoning; having no logical flaws

To vote; to elect; to appoint

(Logic) Of or relating to an argument in which all the premises are true and the conclusion follows from the premises.

To clamor; to cry out

Secure or stable

To assign the voice flag to a user on IRC, permitting them to send messages to the channel.

Financially secure or safe

To act as a voice actor to portray a character.

Thorough; complete

Sound uttered by the mouth, especially that uttered by human beings in speech or song; sound thus uttered considered as possessing some special quality or character; as, the human voice; a pleasant voice; a low voice.

Deep and unbroken; undisturbed

Sound of the kind or quality heard in speech or song in the consonants b, v, d, etc., and in the vowels; sonant, or intonated, utterance; tone; - distinguished from mere breath sound as heard in f, s, sh, etc., and also whisper.

Compatible with an accepted point of view; orthodox

The tone or sound emitted by anything.

Thoroughly; deeply

The faculty or power of utterance; as, to cultivate the voice.

Healthy.

Language; words; speech; expression; signification of feeling or opinion.

Complete, solid, or secure.

Opinion or choice expressed; judgment; a vote.

Having the property of soundness.

Command; precept; - now chiefly used in scriptural language.

Good; acceptable; decent.

One who speaks; a speaker.

(of sleep) Quiet and deep.

A particular mode of inflecting or conjugating verbs, or a particular form of a verb, by means of which is indicated the relation of the subject of the verb to the action which the verb expresses.

Heavy; laid on with force.

To give utterance or expression to; to utter; to publish; to announce; to divulge; as, to voice the sentiments of the nation.

Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective.

To utter with sonant or vocal tone; to pronounce with a narrowed glottis and rapid vibrations of the vocal cords; to speak above a whisper.

Soundly.

To fit for producing the proper sounds; to regulate the tone of; as, to voice the pipes of an organ.

Yes; used to show agreement or understanding, generally without much enthusiasm.

To vote; to elect; to appoint.

A sensation perceived by the ear caused by the vibration of air or some other medium.

The distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech;

(music) A distinctive style and sonority of a particular musician, orchestra, &.

The sound made by the vibration of vocal folds modified by the resonance of the vocal tract;

Noise without meaning; empty noise.

A sound suggestive of a vocal utterance;

, distance within which a certain noise may be heard.

Expressing in coherent verbal form;

(phonetics) A segment as a part of spoken language, the smallest unit of spoken language, a speech sound.

A means or agency by which something is expressed or communicated;

A long narrow inlet, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean.

Something suggestive of speech in being a medium of expression;

The air bladder of a fish.

(metonymy) a singer;

A long, thin probe for sounding or dilating body cavities or canals such as the urethra; a sonde.

An advocate who represents someone else's policy or purpose;

(intransitive) To produce a sound.

The ability to speak;

(copulative) To convey an impression by one's sound.

(linguistics) the grammatical relation (active or passive) of the grammatical subject of a verb to the action that the verb denotes

(intransitive) To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound.

The melody carried by a particular voice or instrument in polyphonic music;

To resound.

Give voice to;

To arise or to be recognizable as arising in or from a particular area of law, or as likely to result in a particular kind of legal remedy.

Utter with vibrating vocal chords

(transitive) To cause to produce a sound.

To pronounce.

(intransitive) Dive downwards, used of a whale.

To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe.

Test; ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device.

(medicine) To examine with the instrument called a sound or sonde, or by auscultation or percussion.

The air bladder of a fish; as, cod sounds are an esteemed article of food.

A cuttlefish.

A narrow passage of water, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean; as, the Sound between the Baltic and the german Ocean; Long Island Sound.

Any elongated instrument or probe, usually metallic, by which cavities of the body are sounded or explored, especially the bladder for stone, or the urethra for a stricture.

The peceived object occasioned by the impulse or vibration of a material substance affecting the ear; a sensation or perception of the mind received through the ear, and produced by the impulse or vibration of the air or other medium with which the ear is in contact; the effect of an impression made on the organs of hearing by an impulse or vibration of the air caused by a collision of bodies, or by other means; noise; report; as, the sound of a drum; the sound of the human voice; a horrid sound; a charming sound; a sharp, high, or shrill sound.

The occasion of sound; the impulse or vibration which would occasion sound to a percipient if present with unimpaired; hence, the theory of vibrations in elastic media such cause sound; as, a treatise on sound.

Noise without signification; empty noise; noise and nothing else.

Whole; unbroken; unharmed; free from flaw, defect, or decay; perfect of the kind; as, sound timber; sound fruit; a sound tooth; a sound ship.

Healthy; not diseased; not being in a morbid state; - said of body or mind; as, a sound body; a sound constitution; a sound understanding.

Firm; strong; safe.

Free from error; correct; right; honest; true; faithful; orthodox; - said of persons; as, a sound lawyer; a sound thinker.

Founded in truth or right; supported by justice; not to be overthrown on refuted; not fallacious; as, sound argument or reasoning; a sound objection; sound doctrine; sound principles.

Heavy; laid on with force; as, a sound beating.

Undisturbed; deep; profound; as, sound sleep.

Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective; as, a sound title to land.

Soundly.

To measure the depth of; to fathom; especially, to ascertain the depth of by means of a line and plummet.

To explore, as the bladder or urethra, with a sound; to examine with a sound; also, to examine by auscultation or percussion; as, to sound a patient.

To ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device.

To make a noise; to utter a voice; to make an impulse of the air that shall strike the organs of hearing with a perceptible effect.

To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound.

To make or convey a certain impression, or to have a certain import, when heard; hence, to seem; to appear; as, this reproof sounds harsh; the story sounds like an invention.

To cause to make a noise; to play on; as, to sound a trumpet or a horn; to sound an alarm.

To cause to exit as a sound; as, to sound a note with the voice, or on an instrument.

To order, direct, indicate, or proclain by a sound, or sounds; to give a signal for by a certain sound; as, to sound a retreat; to sound a parley.

To celebrate or honor by sounds; to cause to be reported; to publish or proclaim; as, to sound the praises of fame of a great man or a great exploit.

To examine the condition of (anything) by causing the same to emit sounds and noting their character; as, to sound a piece of timber; to sound a vase; to sound the lungs of a patient.

To signify; to import; to denote.

The particular auditory effect produced by a given cause;

The subjective sensation of hearing something;

Mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium;

The sudden occurrence of an audible event;

The audible part of a transmitted signal;

(phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language

A narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water

A large ocean inlet or deep bay;

Appear in a certain way;

Make a certain noise or sound;

Give off a certain sound or sounds;

Announce by means of a sound;

Utter with vibrating vocal chords

Cause to sound;

Measure the depth of (a body of water) with a sounding line

Financially secure and safe;

Exercising or showing good judgment;

In good condition; free from defect or damage or decay;

In excellent physical condition;

Reflects weight of sound argument or evidence;

Having legal efficacy or force;

Free from moral defect;

(of sleep) deep and complete;

Thorough;

Deeply or completely;

Yes, voice can convey emotions and subtle nuances through changes in tone, pitch, and volume.

No, only sounds produced by the vocal cords are considered voices; other sounds come from various sources.

Both travel as vibrations through mediums like air or water before being perceived by the auditory system.

Voice involves complex processes of the vocal cords and articulators for speech or singing, which not all creatures possess.

Timbre, or tone quality, helps distinguish between different voices and sounds, even if they have the same pitch and loudness.

Yes, through vocal training and therapy, individuals can improve the quality, strength, and health of their voice.

Yes, conditions like laryngitis, vocal cord nodules, and polyps can affect voice quality and production.

They determine the pitch and loudness of both sound and voice, influencing how they are perceived.

Sound is a general term for vibrations that travel through a medium, while voice specifically refers to sounds produced by the vocal cords in humans and animals.

Voice is fundamental to verbal communication, enabling the expression of thoughts, information, and emotions.

Acoustics and obstacles can alter the direction, speed, and clarity with which sound and voice travel.

Voice recognition and synthesis technologies are used in devices and applications for interaction and accessibility.

Acoustics studies sound in general, while voice science focuses on the production, use, and health of the human voice.

Yes, many animals use their voices to communicate, through calls, songs, or other vocalizations.