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  1. Roxy123

    Roxy123 New Member

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    How to describe a voice?

    Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Roxy123, Nov 4, 2020.

    Hi,

    feeling kinda stupid about that question, but I've spent some time trying to figure out how to describe a certain voice and I have no idea.
    Doesn't make it any easier that english isn't my first language xD
    I'd be grateful if somebody could help, don't wanna write anything wrong.


    sorry, I don't have a better example. How'd you describe Katy's voice?
     
  2. jim onion

    jim onion New Member

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    I would describe her voice as "sugary", at risk of being cliche.

    You can describe a voice in a lot of ways:

    -how it makes you feel ("absorbed by" or "My ears received her divinely angelic whispers.")
    -how it sounds in a more literal sense ("baritone", "tenor", "flat")
    -synesthesia or simile / metaphor (my "sugary" example)
    -common cultural reference (Southern Belle, Brooklyn accent, California-surfer-dude)
    -in reference to their health ("smoky" or "hoarse" if they smoke or have some kind of vocal-chord damage / are sick)
    -in reference to another defining character quality (are they snobbish, stuck-up, shy?)

    There's probably more, and also better examples than those I have conjured here. I encourage you to not just use "sugary" and actually come up with something for yourself, using some of these suggestions to guide your thinking. Think of voices of people close to you in your personal life; explore associations of who they are as friends. Does their voice match who they are? Is it comically different, like a big linebacker with a Mickey Mouse voice?

    Others, including yourself, might not find this accurate, and that's fine. But I would describe her voice as "sugary sub-urban mom". I might also say you can "hear her smile". However, a description might not be appropriate depending on what kind of story you're telling. "Sugary sub-urban mom" would not make sense in your fantasy world unless you have populated it with sub-urban moms.
     
    Last edited: Nov 4, 2020
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  3. Roxy123

    Roxy123 New Member

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    Thanks for the thought food! :D

    I'm very keen to keep these types of things rich in variety, to make the reading more interesting. But it's not so easy sometimes. :D
    Sugary actually fits in a lot of ways, as well as 'hearing the smile' btw, since it's a character who always wears a smug. Only that the character describing her voice has a negative take on that, which is why I could also describe her voice as 'so sugary that it makes you sick.' :D
     
  4. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

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    I have a cheat sheet that I use when I get caught in a bind on
    how a voice should sound. Hope it helps. :superidea::


    Hola! You can call me J.
    This blog was created in the hopes that I could help out the writers of Tumblr. It will consist of helpful reblogs combined with original text posts that I somehow think up with a little bit of prompting from lovely followers.

    So, if you're a writer and you're having trouble getting started, or perhaps you have questions geared more towards grammar/sentence structure/form and the like, or anything at all, please feel free to send in a message. I will do my absolute best to help you all out!

    I can't wait to meet fellow writers!


    55 Words to Describe Someone’s Voice
    I was sitting on the computer last night trying to be productive and actually write something. My first sentence included the character listening to a voice through an intercom and my first thought was, “What kind of voice is it?"

    So, naturally, I found myself googling the different ways to describe a voice. I present to you my findings! I hope you all find it useful.

    · 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

    · 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
     
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  5. Rosacrvx

    Rosacrvx Contributor Contributor

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    Oh man, if only we'd have this list for Portuguese! We have so little words to describe a voice!
     
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  6. Seven Crowns

    Seven Crowns Moderator Staff Supporter Contributor Contest Winner 2022

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    Katy's got a Memphis lilt. She's like a Dixie debutante pulling through a helium hangover. If she was ever in a serious accident, her saline drip would be mixed with sweet tea.

    That's how I would do it, or something along those lines. I would have fun with the description because it seems to match her character.
     
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  7. Vanna Heller

    Vanna Heller Banned

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    To me, she sounds like she is from Alabama and her voice for me sounds like nails on a chalk-board. I cringe when she talks.
     
  8. Xoic

    Xoic Prognosticator of Arcana Ridiculosum Contributor Blogerator

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    Same here—it's like she's working to maintain the sweet little-girl voice (and expressions that go with it) but when it slips, she descends into cackling wicked-witch territory. Slight exaggeration, but in that general direction anyway. And to me that makes for a far more interesting character, though a very different one.
     
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  9. Vanna Heller

    Vanna Heller Banned

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    Yes definitely
     
  10. rick roll rice

    rick roll rice Member

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    You can try synesthesia, it's much fun as long as your pov character plausibly can do so.

    edited for wrong diction.
     

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