Describing a Character's Voice

  • Strident: loud and unpleasant.
  • Taut: nervous or angry voice.
  • Thick: less clear than usual because of overflowing emotions.
  • Thickly: with a low voice that comes from the throat mostly.
  • Thin: high and unpleasant to listen to.
  • Throaty: a low voice that comes from the deep throat.
  • Tight: a tight voice or expression shows that one is nervous or annoyed.
  • Singsong: a voice that rises and falls and contains an element of musicality.
  • Small: a quiet voice.
  • Smoky: sexually attractive in a slightly mysterious way. 
  • Softly spoken: if someone is softly spoken; they have a quiet gentle voice.
  • Sotto voce (adjective, adverb): in a very quiet voice.
  • Stentorian: very loud and severe.
  • Strangled: abrupted sound; when someone stops before they finish making it.  
  • Toneless: a voice that does not express any emotions.
  • Tremulous: a voice that is not steady because of excitement or fear. 
  • Wheezy: a wheezy noise sounds as if it is made by someone who has difficulty breathing.
  • Wobbly: Sound that goes up and down because of fright, lack of confidence or when one is about to cry.
  • Plummy:  a plummy way of speaking or voice is considered to be typical of an English person of high social class. The word keeps the connotation of disliking that voice. 
  • Raucous: a voice that sounds loud and rough. 
  • Ringing: a voice that is very loud and clear.
  • Rough: a voice that is not soft and that is unpleasant to listen to.
  • Shrill: a voice that is very loud, high and unpleasant. 
  • Silvery: a voice that is clear, light, and pleasant. Course Home

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