What is the Difference Between Sound and Voice

The main difference between sound and voice is that sound can be produced by anything whereas voice is produced by human beings.

We can simply describe the sound as things we hear. It includes the noises made by animals, natural phenomena like rain and thunder, as well as noises made by vehicles and machinery. Voice, on the other hand, refers to the sound produced by human beings.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Sound
– Definition, Features, Types
2. What is Voice
– Definition, Features, Types
3. Difference Between Sound and Voice
– Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Sound, Voice

What is Sound

Sound refers to vibrations that travel through the air or another medium like solid or liquid and can be heard when they reach a person’s ear. In simple words, we can describe the sound as noise we hear around us. The chirping of birds, dogs’ barking, vehicle horns, doorbell, alarms, people arguing with each other, babies crying – these are all sounds we hear in our day-to-day life. Both animate and inanimate things can produce sound.

When something vibrates and sends waves of energy into our ears, we describe it as sound. This energy (vibrations) can travel through the air or other media such as solid, liquid, and gas. When the vibrations are stronger, the sound is loud. In contrast, weaker vibrations create faint sounds. Moreover, sounds become faint when you are further away from the source of the sound.

What is Voice

Voice is a sound produced by humans. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a speech. Voice can include talking, crying, singing, murmuring, screaming, or shouting. It can even include the blabbering of babies. The main difference between voice and sound is that voice is produced by humans. We produce sound when the air from our lungs vibrates the vocal cords in the throat. Furthermore, the air inside the hollow spaces of the chest, throat, and mouth can vibrate and amplify the sound of the voice. The vibrations of the vocal cords resonate in the chest cavity (in the lower register) and the head (in the upper register). While loose vocal cords generate low notes, tight vocal cords generate high notes.

Voices differ from person to person. A person’s voice is unique as his or her fingerprint. Moreover, the voice of adult men is different from the voice of adult women. Men’s voice is typically deeper than women’s voice. This is because they have different sizes of vocal cords. There are four basic types of voices as soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. These are important when studying music and singing.

Pitch, loudness, and quality are three characteristics or properties of voice. Pitch describes whether the sound is high or low based on the frequency of the sound waves. Loudness, on the other hand, refers to the volume or amplitude of the sound, whereas quality is the character or distinctive attributes of a sound.

Difference Between Sound and Voice

Definition

Sound refers to vibrations that travel through the air or another medium like solid or liquid and can be heard when they reach a person’s ear, while voice is the sound produced by humans.

Types

Sound includes the noises made by animals, natural phenomena like rain and thunder, as well as noises made by vehicles and machinery. Voice, on the other hand, can include the sound produced by talking, crying, singing, murmuring, screaming, shouting, etc.

Conclusion

We can simply describe the sound as things we hear. It includes the noises made by animals and humans, natural phenomena like rain and thunder, as well as noises made by vehicles and machinery. Voice, on the other hand, refers exclusively to the sound produced by human beings. The main difference between sound and voice is that sound can be produced by anything whereas voice is produced by human beings.