11+ words for speech and sound

Words for how something is said or heard: murmur, blurt, implore, chide, shrill, terse. Each one does the work of a whole phrase. Implore says in one word what “ask very desperately” says in three.

There are 91 words here: 14 describing words, 55 doing words, 21 naming words and 1 other. Each has its meaning, an example sentence and similar words. Tap a word for its opposites and a practice question.

Describing words (adjectives)14

concise: Saying what you need to say in only a few words.; Her instructions were concise: 'Turn left, second door, don't touch the red button.'; Similar: brief, short
curt: Using so few words that you seem rude.; When I asked for directions, the man gave a curt 'No idea' and marched off.; Similar: blunt, snappy, short
eloquent: Able to speak clearly and beautifully so people want to listen.; The eloquent speaker held the whole hall silent, choosing every word perfectly.; Similar: articulate, expressive, fluent
explicit: Stated clearly and in detail, leaving no doubt.; She left explicit instructions about feeding the rabbit.; Similar: clear, direct, plain
gruff: Rough and unfriendly in voice or manner.; 'What do you want?' came a gruff voice from behind the workshop door.; Similar: rough, grumpy, harsh
harmonious: Going together in a peaceful and pleasant way.; The choir sounded harmonious, every voice blending sweetly with the next.; Similar: peaceful, tuneful, friendly
hushed: Very quiet and still.; A hushed audience watched as the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.; Similar: quiet, silent, soft
inaudible: So quiet that it cannot be heard.; Her reply was inaudible over the roar of the aeroplane engines.; Similar: silent, faint, quiet
lyrical: Expressed in a beautiful, song-like way.; The poet gave a lyrical description of the sea, and we could almost hear the waves.; Similar: poetic, musical, flowing
muffled: Made quieter and less clear, as if covered up.; Through the thick wall we heard the muffled thump of music from next door.; Similar: faint, soft, quiet
mute: Silent and not speaking, often from surprise or shock.; Struck mute with amazement, Lily could only point at the hot-air balloon landing in the garden.; Similar: silent, quiet, speechless
sarcastic: Saying the opposite of what you mean to make fun of someone.; 'Oh, brilliant work,' said Tom in a sarcastic voice when his sister spilt juice all over his homework.; Similar: mocking, scornful
shrill: So high and piercing that it hurts your ears.; The referee's shrill whistle cut through the noise of the crowd.; Similar: piercing, high, sharp
terse: Using very few words, often in an unfriendly way.; 'Fine,' was Dad's terse reply, and he said nothing else all the way home.; Similar: short, brief, blunt

Doing words (verbs)55

assure: To tell someone firmly that something is definitely true.; 'I assure you the spider has gone,' said Dad, checking under the bed one more time.; Similar: guarantee, promise
babble: To talk quickly in a way that makes no sense, or to make a bubbling sound.; The excited toddler began to babble about dinosaurs, rockets and jelly all at once.; Similar: chatter, natter, ramble
bellow: To shout in a very loud, deep voice.; 'Get off my vegetable patch!' the farmer bellowed across the field.; Similar: shout, roar, yell
bicker: To argue about small, silly things.; The brothers bickered all journey about who got the window seat.; Similar: argue, fight, squabble
blurt: To say something suddenly without thinking.; Before he could stop himself, Sam blurted out the surprise party secret in front of Gran.; Similar: exclaim
boast: To talk too proudly about yourself or what you own.; Jake loved to boast about his new bike, telling anyone who would listen how fast it was.; Similar: brag, crow
chide: To tell someone off gently.; 'Slow down,' Gran would chide whenever we gobbled our dinner.; Similar: scold
chortle: To laugh in a happy, gleeful way.; Grandpa began to chortle loudly when the puppy chased its own tail into the flowerbed.; Similar: giggle, laugh
coax: To gently persuade someone to do something.; With a saucer of milk, Jo coaxed the frightened kitten out from under the shed.; Similar: persuade, tempt, urge
condemn: To say strongly that something is wrong or bad.; The headteacher was quick to condemn the bullying.; Similar: criticise, denounce
confer: To give someone an award, title or honour, or to talk something over with others.; The King will confer a knighthood on the brave firefighter.; Similar: award, grant, present
confide: To tell someone a secret because you trust them.; Nervous about the move, Tom confided his worries to his best friend.; Similar: tell, share, admit
contest: To argue that something is wrong or unfair and try to change it.; The team decided to contest the referee's decision.; Similar: challenge, dispute, oppose
contradict: To say the opposite of what someone else has said.; 'It was sunny,' said Ben. 'It poured all day,' said Amy, contradicting him at once.; Similar: deny, oppose, argue
convey: To carry something somewhere, or to make a feeling or idea known.; Her huge grin conveyed exactly how happy she was without a single word.; Similar: show, express, communicate
disclose: To make known something that was secret or hidden.; The magician refused to disclose how the trick was done.; Similar: reveal, divulge, expose
divulge: To tell someone a secret.; No matter how much they begged, Aisha refused to divulge where the treasure was hidden.; Similar: reveal, tell, share
emphasise: To give special importance to something you say or write.; The coach likes to emphasise passing rather than scoring.; Similar: stress, highlight, underline
exaggerate: To make something sound bigger, better or worse than it really is.; Jack likes to exaggerate, so his small fish became a giant shark in the story.; Similar: overstate, inflate, overdo
exclaim: To shout out suddenly with surprise or excitement.; 'It's snowing!' exclaimed Poppy, pressing her nose against the frosty window.; Similar: shout, cry, yell
implore: To beg someone desperately to do something.; 'Please don't tell Mum,' Jack implored, clasping his hands together.; Similar: beg, plead
imply: To suggest something without actually saying it.; She did not imply that anyone had cheated, only that the score looked odd.; Similar: suggest, hint, signal
indicate: To show or point out where something is, or what is meant.; A small arrow on the sign will indicate which way the footpath goes.; Similar: show, point, signal
interrogate: To ask someone lots of questions, often in a strict way, to find something out.; The detective began to interrogate the butler about the missing jewels.; Similar: question, quiz, examine
jeer: To laugh at someone in a mean, mocking way.; Some of the crowd began to jeer when the striker missed an open goal.; Similar: mock, boo, tease
mimic: To copy someone's voice or actions, often for fun.; Ben can mimic the head teacher's booming voice so well it fools everyone.; Similar: copy, echo, repeat
mock: To make fun of someone in an unkind way.; It was cruel of them to mock his singing when he had tried so hard.; Similar: insult, tease
murmur: To speak in a soft, low voice that is hard to hear.; The nurse murmured something soothing, and the frightened child stopped crying.; Similar: whisper, mutter, hum
nag: To keep annoying someone by asking or complaining again and again.; 'Tidy your room, tidy your room,' his sister would nag all day until he finally gave in.; Similar: pester, bother, moan
narrate: To tell a story out loud or explain events as they happen.; Grandpa loved to narrate our camping trips, describing every owl hoot and rustling bush.; Similar: tell, describe, relate
negotiate: To talk with someone to try to reach a deal that suits you both.; The twins had to negotiate over the last slice of cake, finally agreeing to split it in half.; Similar: bargain, discuss, settle
nominate: To suggest someone for a job, prize or role.; The class decided to nominate Priya for captain because she was fair and kind to everyone.; Similar: suggest, propose, recommend
omit: To leave something out.; Ali decided to omit the boring bits and tell us only the exciting parts of his holiday.; Similar: skip, drop, miss
persuade: To talk someone into doing or believing something.; Amir tried to persuade his mum that a pet snake would be a wonderful idea.; Similar: convince, urge
plead: To beg for something in a very serious way.; The twins pleaded with Dad to let them stay up late for the fireworks.; Similar: beg, ask, appeal
proclaim: To announce something important loudly and publicly.; A messenger rode into town to proclaim that the queen would visit on Saturday.; Similar: announce, declare, broadcast
protest: To speak out or act to show you strongly disagree with something.; The pupils made colourful signs to protest against the closing of the school library.; Similar: object, complain, resist
quibble: To argue about tiny things that do not matter.; They began to quibble over who got the bigger half of a biscuit that was almost exactly equal.; Similar: bicker, squabble, argue
ramble: To walk for pleasure, or to talk on and on without a clear point.; Grandad began to ramble about his schooldays and forgot the question entirely.; Similar: stroll, roam, chatter
rebuke: To speak sharply to someone because they have done something wrong.; The coach paused the game to rebuke the players for showing off instead of passing the ball.; Similar: scold, reprimand
recite: To say something aloud from memory.; Each pupil had to recite a poem by heart in front of the class without peeking at the page.; Similar: repeat, quote, perform
reprimand: To tell someone off formally, especially as the person in charge.; The coach reprimanded the players for showing off instead of passing the ball.; Similar: scold, rebuke
retort: To answer back quickly and sharply.; 'Well, your team lost by six goals,' Priya retorted when her brother teased her.; Similar: snap, reply, answer
reveal: To show or tell something that was hidden.; She pulled back the curtain to reveal a garden full of sunflowers.; Similar: show, uncover, expose
scold: To tell someone off angrily for doing something wrong.; Gran scolded the puppy for chewing her favourite slippers yet again.; Similar: reprimand, rebuke
squabble: To argue noisily about something small and unimportant.; The twins squabbled over the front seat until Dad turned the radio up.; Similar: argue, fight, row
stammer: To speak with pauses and repeated sounds, finding it hard to get words out.; 'I-I didn't mean to break it,' Sam stammered, staring at the floor.; Similar: stutter, hesitate
summarise: To give the main points of something in a short way.; Can you summarise the story in three sentences?; Similar: outline, shorten, condense
summon: To officially call someone to come to you.; The king summoned his bravest knights to the great hall at once.; Similar: call
taunt: To tease someone in a cruel way to upset them.; The older boys taunted him about his squeaky voice until a teacher stepped in.; Similar: mock, insult, tease
vouch: To say from your own knowledge that something is true or someone is good.; The coach vouched for Leo, promising the referee that he had never cheated.; Similar: confirm, promise, support
warble: To sing with a gentle, trembling sound like a bird.; A blackbird warbled from the chimney as the sun came up.; Similar: trill, sing, chirp
whimper: To make small, weak crying sounds.; The lost puppy whimpered softly outside the door until someone let it in.; Similar: whine, cry, sob
wrangle: To argue noisily for a long time.; The twins wrangled over whose turn it was on the games console until Mum took it away.; Similar: argue, quarrel, bicker
yodel: To sing by quickly switching between low and very high notes.; The mountain guide yodelled across the valley, and the echo answered back.; Similar: sing, call, trill

Naming words (nouns)21

admission: The act of admitting that something is true, often something you did wrong.; Tom's admission that he had eaten the last biscuit made everyone laugh.; Similar: confession, acknowledgement
banter: The friendly, playful teasing and joking between people.; There was plenty of cheerful banter on the bus as the team joked about who scored the sloppiest goal.; Similar: joking, teasing, chat
cacophony: A horrible mix of loud noises all at once.; A cacophony of horns, drums and barking dogs filled the street during the parade.; Similar: din, racket, noise
clamour: A loud noise made by lots of people shouting at once.; A clamour rose from the playground as everyone demanded a turn on the new slide.; Similar: din, racket, noise
clatter: A loud rattling noise of hard things banging together.; The tray fell with a tremendous clatter, sending spoons skidding across the kitchen floor.; Similar: rattle, crash, bang
commotion: A sudden burst of noisy confusion.; There was a commotion at the pond when a swan chased a jogger along the path.; Similar: fuss, noise, stir
din: A loud, unpleasant noise that goes on for a long time.; The din from the road works made it impossible to hear the teacher.; Similar: racket, noise, uproar
dispute: A disagreement or argument between people.; The dispute over who owned the football lasted all break time.; Similar: argument, quarrel, disagreement
hubbub: A loud noise made by lots of voices at once.; A hubbub filled the hall as two hundred children all chattered about the surprise.; Similar: racket, din, noise
jargon: The special words used by a group, which are hard for outsiders to understand.; The computer manual was full of jargon that left Grandma more confused than before.; Similar: terminology, lingo
kerfuffle: A noisy fuss or commotion about something.; There was a great kerfuffle in the cloakroom when a pigeon flew in through the window.; Similar: fuss, uproar, stir
oath: A serious promise, often made in front of other people.; The knights swore an oath to protect the king.; Similar: promise, vow, pledge
objection: A reason you give for disagreeing with something.; My only objection to the camping trip is the cold weather.; Similar: protest, complaint, argument
pandemonium: Wild noise and complete confusion everywhere.; When a pigeon flew into the classroom, there was total pandemonium.; Similar: chaos, uproar, racket
pledge: A serious promise to do something.; The knights made a pledge to protect the kingdom, and not one of them ever broke it.; Similar: promise, vow, oath
quarrel: An angry argument between people.; The sisters had a quarrel over whose turn it was on the swing.; Similar: argument, row, fight
query: A question, especially one asking for information.; Miss Patel answered every query about the trip, even the one about snacks.; Similar: question, enquiry
tumult: A loud, confused noise made by an excited crowd.; A tumult of shouts and stamping feet filled the hall when the winner was announced.; Similar: racket, din, noise
unison: Doing or saying something all together at exactly the same time.; 'Good morning, Miss Patel,' the class chanted in unison.; Similar: harmony, unity
uproar: A storm of loud noise and angry shouting from lots of people.; There was uproar in the hall when the referee cancelled the winning goal.; Similar: racket, noise, fuss
vow: A serious promise you mean to keep forever.; The knight made a vow to guard the castle gates until his last day.; Similar: promise, word

More words1

shriek: To give a sudden loud high scream; or the scream itself.; Ella shrieked with fright when a spider dropped onto her book.; Similar: scream, screech, squeal