essential a.absolutely necessary; extremely important
Voicing your concerns is absolutely essential.
throaty a.having a low sound
Instead of her mum's nagging voice she heard a deep throaty laugh.
modulation n.the act of varying the loudness, pitch, or tone of one’s voice
The Minister has evidently practised the modulation of her voice.
well-modulated a.being adjusted depending on the environment; soften; not loud
Fairly or unfairly, we impute strength and confidence to the person who speaks with a low-pitched, well-modulated voice.
high-pitched a.the sound is very high
A woman squealed in a high-pitched voice.
low voice n.deep voice; quiet or difficult to hear
We prefer low voices because, we assume, voices say something far beyond the words they convey.
husky a.deep sound and hoarse
She's got a nice husky voice - very sexy.
shrill a.having a loud and high sound that is unpleasant or painful to listen to
She had a shrill high-pitched voice.
croaky a.(of a person's voice) deep and hoarse
The croaky voice may last for a week after the other symptoms have gone.
gravelly a.(of a voice) low and rough
He had this really gravelly voice, very intense, and he was completely wild looking too.
wobbly a.tending to move unsteadily from side to side
‘Please,’ she begged, and her voice was wobbly and high, as if she was struggling not to cry.
utter v.make (a sound) with one's voice
She could not even utter a cry of pain, just a short gasp of disbelief.
enunciate v.say or pronounce clearly
It is important to enunciate each word clearly and not to run words together.
mumble v.say something indistinctly and quietly, making it difficult for others to hear
His voice trailed off into an absorbed mumble as he tried to jot everything down.
distinct a.clearly separate and different (from something else)
There are two distinct factions within the one political party.
puberty n.the stage in someone's life when their body starts to become physically mature
He reached puberty at the age of fourteen.
vocal cords n.a pair of folds at the upper end of the throat that produce sound when air from the lungs moves over them
When sounds are unvoiced, the vocal cords are relaxed to allow the air a completely free passage.
silvery a.having a pleasant, clear musical sound
We were woken early by the peal of silvery bells.
recognize v.to accept that something is true
He recognized that it was unlikely he would ever see her again.
awful a.very bad or unpleasant
It's still an awful burden.
sound waves n.the form that sound takes when it passes through air, water, etc.
The ear picks up sound waves and converts them into signals that it sends to the brain.
skull n.the bones of the head that surround the brain and give the head its shape
The bones of the skull are not properly fused at birth.
set off v.to begin
What time do we set off tomorrow?
elated a.extremely happy and excited, often because something has happened or been achieved
He was elated by the news that he had won a full scholarship.
monotonous a.not changing and therefore boring
The music became monotonous after a while.
appealing a.attractive or interesting
He had a nice smile and an appealing personality.
breathy a.used to describe a voice or way of speaking in which the breath can be heard
Marilyn Monroe was famous for her breathy voice.
brittle a.(of a speech sound) produced in the throat; harsh-sounding
Salman made a guttural noise, clearing his throat.
nasal a.(of a speech sound) pronounced by the voice resonating in the nose, e.g., m , n , ng
English vowels may be partially nasalized when followed by a nasal consonant.
rough a.not smooth or level
"I suppose if we're to be living together I should know who you are," he said in his rough voice.
smoky a.filled with or smelling of smoke
Through the smoky shadows I beheld a terrible sight.
wheezy a.making a high, rough noise while breathing because of some breathing difficulty
She's stopped coughing but is still a little bit wheezy.
embarrassing a.making you feel embarrassed
It was embarrassing how few people attended the party.
deeper a.going or being a long way down from the top or surface
My voice was changing and becoming deeper when I reached puberty.
crack a.damaged with one or more thin lines on its surface; broken
There was a cracked mirror on the table.
pick up v.to answer the phone
I tried his home number but he didn't pick up.