Difference Between Sound and Voice

Sound vs Voice

Sound and Voice are two words that are often confused due to similarity in their meanings. Actually they are different in terms of their meanings and connotations. It is important to note that both the words ‘sound’ and ‘voice’ can be used as verbs too but with different senses and usages.

The word ‘sound’ refers to a sensation caused in the ear by the vibration of the surrounding air or other medium. Sometimes it refers to the vibrations causing the sensation. Anything that may be heard is often referred to by the word ‘sound’. The word ‘sound’ is one of the verbs that are used with adjectives but not adverbs like the words ‘look’, ‘smell’ or ‘seem’ as in the sentence ‘It sounds a bit strange’.

Look at the sentence ‘You sound disappointed’. Here again the verb ‘sound’ is used with an adjective and not an adverb. The expression ‘sounds like’ is sometimes used as in the sentence ‘That sounds like Fredrick shouting’. Look at the sentence ‘It sounds like a good suggestion’. In both these sentences the expression ‘sounds like’ is used in the sense of ‘appears like’.

On the other hand the word ‘voice’ refers to the faculty of speech in the humans. It is often referred to by the word ‘tenor’ as in the expression ‘the tenor in your voice’. The word ‘voice’ is sometimes used as a verb too as in the sentence ‘He voiced out his opinion’. In this sentence the word ‘voice’ is used as a verb. It is used in the sense of ‘speak’. Observe the sentence ‘He voiced out his resentment’. You can see that in both the sentences the verb is followed by the preposition ‘out’. These are the important differences between the two words, namely, sound and voice.