Sound vs. Sonic — What's the Difference?

Vibrations that propagate as an acoustic wave, through materials that are solid, liquid, or gas.

Used in various technologies and scientific studies.

Essential for communication, entertainment, and navigation.

Pertaining to or relating to sound waves, especially those audible to humans, and their speed.

Requires a medium to travel, cannot propagate in a vacuum.

The term "sonic" is often associated with speeds at or exceeding the speed of sound.

Detected by the ear and interpreted by the brain.

Sonic tools and devices utilize sound waves for specific purposes.

Characterized by frequency, amplitude, and wavelength.

Sonic concepts are applied in innovative ways across different fields.

In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the reception of such waves and their perception by the brain.

Of or relating to audible sound

Vibrations transmitted through an elastic solid or a liquid or gas, with frequencies in the approximate range of 20 to 20,000 hertz, capable of being detected by human organs of hearing.

Having a speed approaching or being that of sound in air, about 1,220 kilometers (760 miles) per hour at sea level.

Transmitted vibrations of any frequency.

(Slang) Extremely exciting and fast-paced

The sensation stimulated in the organs of hearing by such vibrations in the air or other medium.

Of or relating to sound.

Such sensations considered as a group.

Having a speed approaching that of the speed of sound in air.

A distinctive noise

(of speed) having or caused by speed approximately equal to that of sound in air at sea level;

The distance over which something can be heard

Relating to audible sound;

An articulation made by the vocal apparatus

The distinctive character of such an articulation

A mental impression; an implication

Auditory material that is recorded, as for a movie.

Meaningless noise.

(Music) A distinctive style, as of an orchestra or singer.

(Archaic) Rumor; report.

A long, relatively wide body of water, larger than a strait or a channel, connecting larger bodies of water.

A long, wide ocean inlet.

(Archaic) The swim bladder of a fish.

An instrument used to examine or explore body cavities, as for foreign bodies or other abnormalities, or to dilate strictures in them.

To make or give forth a sound

To be given forth as a sound

To present a particular impression

To cause to give forth or produce a sound

To summon, announce, or signal by a sound

(Linguistics) To articulate; pronounce

To make known; celebrate

To examine (a body organ or part) by causing to emit sound; auscultate.

To measure the depth of (water), especially by means of a weighted line; fathom.

To try to learn the attitudes or opinions of

To probe (a body cavity) with a sound.

To measure depth.

To dive swiftly downward. Used of a marine mammal or a fish.

To look into a possibility; investigate.

Free from defect, decay, or damage; in good condition

Free from disease or injury.

Marked by or showing common sense and good judgment; levelheaded

Based on valid reasoning; having no logical flaws

(Logic) Of or relating to an argument in which all the premises are true and the conclusion follows from the premises.

Secure or stable

Financially secure or safe

Thorough; complete

Deep and unbroken; undisturbed

Compatible with an accepted point of view; orthodox

Thoroughly; deeply

Healthy.

Complete, solid, or secure.

Having the property of soundness.

Good; acceptable; decent.

(of sleep) Quiet and deep.

Heavy; laid on with force.

Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective.

Soundly.

Yes; used to show agreement or understanding, generally without much enthusiasm.

A sensation perceived by the ear caused by the vibration of air or some other medium.

A vibration capable of causing such sensations.

(music) A distinctive style and sonority of a particular musician, orchestra, &.

Noise without meaning; empty noise.

, distance within which a certain noise may be heard.

(phonetics) A segment as a part of spoken language, the smallest unit of spoken language, a speech sound.

A long narrow inlet, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean.

The air bladder of a fish.

A long, thin probe for sounding or dilating body cavities or canals such as the urethra; a sonde.

(intransitive) To produce a sound.

(copulative) To convey an impression by one's sound.

(intransitive) To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound.

To resound.

To arise or to be recognizable as arising in or from a particular area of law, or as likely to result in a particular kind of legal remedy.

(transitive) To cause to produce a sound.

To pronounce.

(intransitive) Dive downwards, used of a whale.

To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe.

Test; ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device.

(medicine) To examine with the instrument called a sound or sonde, or by auscultation or percussion.

The air bladder of a fish; as, cod sounds are an esteemed article of food.

A cuttlefish.

A narrow passage of water, or a strait between the mainland and an island; also, a strait connecting two seas, or connecting a sea or lake with the ocean; as, the Sound between the Baltic and the german Ocean; Long Island Sound.

Any elongated instrument or probe, usually metallic, by which cavities of the body are sounded or explored, especially the bladder for stone, or the urethra for a stricture.

The peceived object occasioned by the impulse or vibration of a material substance affecting the ear; a sensation or perception of the mind received through the ear, and produced by the impulse or vibration of the air or other medium with which the ear is in contact; the effect of an impression made on the organs of hearing by an impulse or vibration of the air caused by a collision of bodies, or by other means; noise; report; as, the sound of a drum; the sound of the human voice; a horrid sound; a charming sound; a sharp, high, or shrill sound.

The occasion of sound; the impulse or vibration which would occasion sound to a percipient if present with unimpaired; hence, the theory of vibrations in elastic media such cause sound; as, a treatise on sound.

Noise without signification; empty noise; noise and nothing else.

Whole; unbroken; unharmed; free from flaw, defect, or decay; perfect of the kind; as, sound timber; sound fruit; a sound tooth; a sound ship.

Healthy; not diseased; not being in a morbid state; - said of body or mind; as, a sound body; a sound constitution; a sound understanding.

Firm; strong; safe.

Free from error; correct; right; honest; true; faithful; orthodox; - said of persons; as, a sound lawyer; a sound thinker.

Founded in truth or right; supported by justice; not to be overthrown on refuted; not fallacious; as, sound argument or reasoning; a sound objection; sound doctrine; sound principles.

Heavy; laid on with force; as, a sound beating.

Undisturbed; deep; profound; as, sound sleep.

Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective; as, a sound title to land.

Soundly.

To measure the depth of; to fathom; especially, to ascertain the depth of by means of a line and plummet.

Fig.: To ascertain, or try to ascertain, the thoughts, motives, and purposes of (a person); to examine; to try; to test; to probe.

To explore, as the bladder or urethra, with a sound; to examine with a sound; also, to examine by auscultation or percussion; as, to sound a patient.

To ascertain the depth of water with a sounding line or other device.

To make a noise; to utter a voice; to make an impulse of the air that shall strike the organs of hearing with a perceptible effect.

To be conveyed in sound; to be spread or published; to convey intelligence by sound.

To make or convey a certain impression, or to have a certain import, when heard; hence, to seem; to appear; as, this reproof sounds harsh; the story sounds like an invention.

To cause to make a noise; to play on; as, to sound a trumpet or a horn; to sound an alarm.

To cause to exit as a sound; as, to sound a note with the voice, or on an instrument.

To order, direct, indicate, or proclain by a sound, or sounds; to give a signal for by a certain sound; as, to sound a retreat; to sound a parley.

To celebrate or honor by sounds; to cause to be reported; to publish or proclaim; as, to sound the praises of fame of a great man or a great exploit.

To examine the condition of (anything) by causing the same to emit sounds and noting their character; as, to sound a piece of timber; to sound a vase; to sound the lungs of a patient.

To signify; to import; to denote.

The particular auditory effect produced by a given cause;

The subjective sensation of hearing something;

Mechanical vibrations transmitted by an elastic medium;

The sudden occurrence of an audible event;

The audible part of a transmitted signal;

(phonetics) an individual sound unit of speech without concern as to whether or not it is a phoneme of some language

A narrow channel of the sea joining two larger bodies of water

A large ocean inlet or deep bay;

Appear in a certain way;

Make a certain noise or sound;

Give off a certain sound or sounds;

Announce by means of a sound;

Utter with vibrating vocal chords

Cause to sound;

Measure the depth of (a body of water) with a sounding line

Financially secure and safe;

Exercising or showing good judgment;

In good condition; free from defect or damage or decay;

In excellent physical condition;

Reflects weight of sound argument or evidence;

Having legal efficacy or force;

Free from moral defect;

(of sleep) deep and complete;

Thorough;

Deeply or completely;

Sound is the vibration that travels through a medium, which can be heard when it reaches the ear.

Sonic refers to relating to sound waves, especially those audible to humans, and often involves the speed of sound.

A sonic boom occurs when an object moves through the air faster than the speed of sound, causing a rapid increase in pressure.

Sound is measured in terms of frequency (Hertz), amplitude (decibels), and wavelength (meters).

High-intensity sonic waves can be harmful, causing damage to hearing or even physical harm at extreme levels.

Sonic is a subset of sound, focusing specifically on aspects related to the speed of sound and its applications.

Ultrasonic refers to sound waves that are above the human hearing range, while sonic generally pertains to sound within the audible range.

No, different animals have varying ranges of hearing; for example, dogs can hear higher frequencies than humans.

No, sound cannot travel in a vacuum as it requires a medium (like air, water, or solids) for the vibrations to propagate.

Sonic technology is used in ultrasonic cleaning, medical imaging (ultrasound), and non-lethal weaponry, among others.

Environmental factors like temperature, humidity, and air pressure can affect the speed and propagation of sound.

Sonic technologies, such as ultrasound, provide non-invasive ways to diagnose and monitor medical conditions, offering clear images of the body's internal structures.

Sound is fundamental to verbal communication, allowing humans to convey information and emotions through speech.

The speed of sonic waves is limited by the medium they travel through; for air at sea level, the speed of sound is approximately 343 meters per second.

Amplitude determines the loudness of a sound, with higher amplitudes producing louder sounds.