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