N is for Noise (Sounds)

Ana researches words to describe sounds and voices.

From Audra Wolowiec’s blog, Lineforms:

Bang, bark, beep, bellow, blare, blast, bleat, bong, boom, bray, buzz, cackle, cheep, chime, clack, clank, clap, clatter, clink, cluck, clunk, crack, crackle, crash, creak, dingdong, drop, drumming, fizz, glug, gnashing, gobble, grating, growl, grumble, gurgle, hiss, hoot, howl, hum, jingle, jangle, kachink, knock, mew, moan, mod, murmur, neigh, patter, peal, peep, pop, power, pounding, pulsing, purr, put-put, rap, rat-a-tat, rattle, ring, rippling, roar, rumble, rushing, rustle, scream, scrunch, shriek, sizzle, slam, snap, snarl, snort, splash, sputter, squawk, squeal, squish, stamp, swish, swoosh, tap, tattoo, tearing, throb, thud, thump, thunder, tick, tick-tock, tinkle, toot, trill, twang, twitter, wail, wheeze, whine, whir, whisper, yap, yelp, zap.

From Writinghelpers: 55 Words to Describe Someone’s Voice

•   adenoidal (adj): if someone’s voice is adenoidal, some of the sound seems to come through their nose

•   appealing (adj): an appealing look/voice shows that you want help, approval, or agreement

•   breathy (adj): with loud breathing noises

•   brittle (adj): if you speak in a brittle voice, you sound as if you are about to cry

•   croaky (adj): if someone’s voice sounds croaky, they speak in a low, rough voice that sounds as if they have a sore throat

•   dead (adj): if someone’s eyes or voice are dead, they feel or show no emotion

•   disembodied (adj): a disembodied voice comes from someone who you cannot see

•   flat (adj): spoken in a voice that does not go up and down; this word is often used for describing the speech of people from a particular region

more

•   fruity (adj): a fruity voice or laugh is deep and strong in a pleasant way

•   grating (adj): a grating voice, laugh, or sound is unpleasant and annoying

•   gravelly (adj): a gravelly voice sounds low and rough

•   gruff (adj): this voice has a rough, low sound

•   guttural (adj): a guttural sound is deep and made at the back of your throat

•   high-pitched (adj): true to its name, a high-pitched voice or sound is very high

•   hoarse (adj): someone who is hoarse, or has a hoarse voice, speaks in a low, rough voice, usually because their throat is sore

•   honeyed (adj): honeyed words or a honeyed voice sound very nice, but you cannot trust the person who is speaking

•   husky (adj): a husky voice is deep and sounds hoarse (as if you have a sore throat), often in an attractive way

•   low (adj): a low voice is quiet and difficult to hear; also used for describing a deep voice that has a long wavelength

•   matter-of-fact (adj): usually used if the person speaking knows what they are talking about (or absolutely think they know what they are talking about)

•   modulated (adj): a modulated voice is controlled and pleasant to listen to

•   monotonous (adj): this kind of voice is boring and unpleasant due to the fact that it does not change in loudness or become higher/lower

•   nasal (adj): someone with a nasal voice sounds as if they are speaking through their nose

•   orotund (adj): an orotund voice is loud and clear

•   penetrating (adj): a penetrating voice is so high or loud that it makes you slightly uncomfortable

•   plummy (adj): a plummy voice or way of speaking is considered to be typical of an English person of a high social class; this word shows that you dislike people who speak like this

•   quietly (adj): in a soft, quiet voice

•   raucous (adj): a raucous voice or noise is loud and sounds rough

•   ringing (adj): a ringing voice is very loud and clear

•   rough (adj): a rough voice is not soft and is unpleasant to listen to

•   shrill (adj): a shrill voice is very loud, high, and unpleasant

•   silvery (adj): this voice is clear, light, and pleasant

•   singsong (adj): if you speak in a singsong voice, your voice rises and falls in a musical way

•   small (adj): a small voice is quiet

•   smoky (adj): a smoky voice is sexually attractive in a slightly mysterious way

•   softly spoken (adj): someone who is softly spoken has a quiet, gentle voice

•   soft-spoken (adj): speaking or said in a quiet, gentle voice

•   sotto voce (adj, adv): in a very quiet voice

•   stentorian (adj): a stentorian voice sounds very loud and severe

•   strangled (adj): a strangled sound is one that someone stops before they finish making it

•   strident (adj): this voice is loud and unpleasant

•   taut (adj): used about something such as a voice that shows someone is nervous or angry

•   thick (adj): if your voice is thick with an emotion, it sounds less clear than usual because of the emotion

•   thickly (adv): with a low voice that comes mostly from your throat

•   thin (adj): a thin voice or sound is high and unpleasant to listen to

•   throaty (adj): a throaty sound is low and seems to come from deep in your throat

•   tight (adj): shows that you are nervous or annoyed

•   toneless (adj): does not express any emotion

•   tremulous (adj): if your voice is tremulous, it is not steady; for example, because you are afraid or excited

•   wheezy (adj): a wheezy noise sounds as if it is made by someone who has difficulty breathing

•   wobbly (adj): if your voice is wobbly, it goes up and down, usually because you are frightened, not confident, or are going to cry

•   booming (adj): very loud and attention-getting

•   quavering (adv): if your voice quavers, it is not steady because you are feeling nervous or afraid

•   a voice like a foghorn: very loud voice

•   in an undertone: using a quiet voice so that someone cannot hear you

someone’s dulcet tones: the sound of someone’s voice as they speak