Tone vs. Accent — What's the Difference?

A musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength

The relative prominence of a particular syllable of a word by greater intensity or by variation or modulation of pitch or tone.

The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.

Vocal prominence or emphasis given to a particular syllable, word, or phrase.

A basic interval in classical Western music, equal to two semitones and separating, for example, the first and second notes of an ordinary scale (such as C and D, or E and F sharp); a major second

One determined by the regional or social background of the speaker.

The particular quality of brightness, deepness, or hue of a shade of a colour

One determined by the phonetic characteristics of the speaker's native language carried over to that speaker's use of another language.

(in some languages, such as Chinese) a particular pitch pattern on a syllable used to make semantic distinctions.

A mark or symbol used in the printing and writing of certain languages to indicate the vocal quality to be given to a particular letter

The normal level of firmness or slight contraction in a resting muscle

A mark or symbol used in printing and writing to indicate the stressed syllables of a spoken word.

Give greater strength or firmness to (the body or a muscle)

Rhythmically significant stress in a line of verse.

Harmonize with (something) in terms of colour

Emphasis or prominence given to a note or chord, as by an increase in volume or extended duration.

Give (a monochrome picture) an altered colour in finishing by means of a chemical solution

A mark representing this.

A sound of distinct pitch, quality, and duration; a note.

A mark used as a superscript to distinguish among variables represented by the same symbol.

The interval of a major second in the diatonic scale; a whole step.

A mark used as a superscript to indicate the first derivative of a variable.

A recitational melody in a Gregorian chant.

A mark or one of several marks used as a superscript to indicate a unit, such as feet (′) and inches (") in linear measurement.

The quality or character of sound.

A distinctive feature or quality, such as a feature that accentuates, contrasts with, or complements a decorative style.

The characteristic quality or timbre of a particular instrument or voice.

Something that accentuates or contrasts something else, as a touch of color that makes the features of an image stand out.

The pitch of a word used to determine its meaning or to distinguish differences in meaning.

Particular importance or interest; emphasis

The particular or relative pitch of a word, phrase, or sentence.

To stress or emphasize the pronunciation of

Manner of expression in speech or writing

To mark with a printed accent.

A general quality, effect, or atmosphere

To focus attention on; accentuate

A color or shade of color

(linguistics) A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to emphasize it.

Quality of color

(figuratively) Emphasis or importance in general.

The general effect in painting of light, color, and shade.

(orthography) A mark or character used in writing, in order to indicate the place of the spoken accent, or to indicate the nature or quality of the vowel marked.

The normal state of elastic tension or partial contraction in resting muscles.

Modulation of the voice in speaking; the manner of speaking or pronouncing; a peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice, expressing emotion; tone.

Normal firmness of a tissue or an organ.

The distinctive manner of pronouncing a language associated with a particular region, social group, etc., whether of a native speaker or a foreign speaker; the phonetic and phonological aspects of a dialect.

To give a particular tone or inflection to.

A manner of pronunciation suggesting that the speaker is from a different region; a foreign accent.

To soften or change the color of (a painting or photographic negative, for example).

(sign languages) A distinctive manner of producing a sign language, such as someone who does not normally use a certain sign language might have when using it.

To sound monotonously; intone.

A word; a significant tone or sound.

To make firmer or stronger. Often used with up

Expressions in general; speech.

To assume a particular color quality.

Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse.

To harmonize in color.

(music) A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure.

(music) A specific pitch.

(music) A special emphasis of a tone, even in the weaker part of the measure.

(music) (in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.

(music) A mark used to represent this special emphasis.The third and fourth symbols are accents (marks used to represent special emphasis in music).

(music) (in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.

(music) The rhythmical accent, which marks phrases and sections of a period.

The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.

(mathematics) A prime symbol.

(linguistics) The pitch of a word that distinguishes a difference in meaning, for example in Chinese.

Emphasis laid on a part of an artistic design or composition; an emphasized detail, in particular a detail in sharp contrast to its surroundings.

(dated) A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice.

A very small gemstone set into a piece of jewellery.

(literature) The manner in which speech or writing is expressed.

(archaic) Utterance.

(obsolete) State of mind; temper; mood.

(transitive) To express the accent of vocally; to utter with accent.

The shade or quality of a colour.

(transitive) To mark emphatically; to emphasize; to accentuate; to make prominent.

The favourable effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, or of colours.

(transitive) To mark with written accents.

The definition and firmness of a muscle or organ; see also: tonus.

A superior force of voice or of articulative effort upon some particular syllable of a word or a phrase, distinguishing it from the others.

(biology) The state of a living body or of any of its organs or parts in which the functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.

A mark or character used in writing, and serving to regulate the pronunciation; esp.: (a) a mark to indicate the nature and place of the spoken accent; (b) a mark to indicate the quality of sound of the vowel marked; as, the French accents.

(biology) Normal tension or responsiveness to stimuli.

Modulation of the voice in speaking; manner of speaking or pronouncing; peculiar or characteristic modification of the voice; tone; as, a foreign accent; a French or a German accent.

A gun

A word; a significant tone

(figuratively)

Stress laid on certain syllables of a verse.

The general character, atmosphere, mood, or vibe (of a situation, place, etc.).

A regularly recurring stress upon the tone to mark the beginning, and, more feebly, the third part of the measure.

(Chiefly in the form lower/raise the tone of something) The quality of being respectable or admirable.

A mark placed at the right hand of a letter, and a little above it, to distinguish magnitudes of a similar kind expressed by the same letter, but differing in value, as y´, y.

(transitive) to give a particular tone to

To express the accent of (either by the voice or by a mark); to utter or to mark with accent.

(transitive) to change the colour of

To mark emphatically; to emphasize.

(transitive) to make (something) firmer

Distinctive manner of oral expression;

(transitive) to utter with an affected tone.

Special importance or significance;

The one (of two)

The usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people;

Sound, or the character of a sound, or a sound considered as of this or that character; as, a low, high, loud, grave, acute, sweet, or harsh tone.

The relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch);

Accent, or inflection or modulation of the voice, as adapted to express emotion or passion.

A diacritical mark used to indicate stress or placed above a vowel to indicate a special pronunciation

A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm ahd a regular rise and fall of the voice; as, children often read with a tone.

To stress, single out as important;

A sound considered as to pitch; as, the seven tones of the octave; she has good high tones.

Put stress on; utter with an accent;

That state of a body, or of any of its organs or parts, in which the animal functions are healthy and performed with due vigor.

Tonicity; as, arterial tone.

State of mind; temper; mood.

Tenor; character; spirit; drift; as, the tone of his remarks was commendatory.

General or prevailing character or style, as of morals, manners, or sentiment, in reference to a scale of high and low; as, a low tone of morals; a tone of elevated sentiment; a courtly tone of manners.

The general effect of a picture produced by the combination of light and shade, together with color in the case of a painting; - commonly used in a favorable sense; as, this picture has tone.

Quality, with respect to attendant feeling; the more or less variable complex of emotion accompanying and characterizing a sensation or a conceptual state; as, feeling tone; color tone.

Color quality proper; - called also hue. Also, a gradation of color, either a hue, or a tint or shade.

The condition of normal balance of a healthy plant in its relations to light, heat, and moisture.

To utter with an affected tone.

To bring, as a print, to a certain required shade of color, as by chemical treatment.

The quality of a person's voice;

(linguistics) a pitch or change in pitch of the voice that serves to distinguish words in tonal languages;

(music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound);

The general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people;

A quality of a given color that differs slightly from a primary color;

A notation representing the pitch and duration of a musical sound;

A steady sound without overtones;

The elastic tension of living muscles, arteries, etc. that facilitate response to stimuli;

A musical interval of two semitones

The quality of something (an act or a piece of writing) that reveals the attitudes and presuppositions of the author;

Utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically;

Of one's speech, varying the pitch

Change the color or tone of;

Change to a color image;

Give a healthy elasticity to;