The word 'voice' is fundamental in many languages, and French is no exception. While 'voix' is the most common way to say it, there are several other nuances and expressions that can enrich your vocabulary.

Whether you're talking about a singing voice, a speaking voice, or even a voice in the sense of an opinion or a collective sound, French offers a variety of ways to express this concept.

Let's explore 9 different ways to say 'voice' in French, helping you speak more naturally and precisely!

The standard 'voice' – la voix

La voix is the most basic and common French word used to refer to the sound produced by a person's mouth, whether for speaking, singing, or shouting.

This noun is always feminine in French. In its singular form, it's la voix. For the plural, it remains les voix, with no change in spelling, which is common for nouns ending in -x.

One common use is to describe the quality of a voice. You can talk about une belle voix (a beautiful voice), une voix grave (a deep voice), une voix douce (a soft voice), or une voix rauque (a hoarse voice).

La voix also refers to the act of using one's vocal cords. For example, lever la voix means 'to raise one's voice' (often in anger), and chanter à pleine voix means 'to sing at the top of one's voice'.

A very useful expression is à voix haute, which translates to 'aloud' or 'out loud'. If you want someone to read something aloud, you'd say Lis-le à voix haute.

To express losing one's voice, you'd typically say perdre sa voix. Changer de voix can mean a voice breaking (e.g., during puberty) or changing one's tone.

La voix can also be used metaphorically to mean a 'say' or an 'opinion'. For instance, avoir voix au chapitre means 'to have a say in the matter'.

Furthermore, it can represent an inner conviction or a collective sentiment, as in la voix de la conscience (the voice of conscience) or la voix du peuple (the voice of the people), signifying public opinion.

Understanding la voix in its various contexts is crucial, as it's a versatile word that extends from basic anatomical function to complex metaphorical expressions.

💡 * J'ai perdu ma voix après le concert. (I lost my voice after the concert.)

Elle a une voix magnifique. (She has a magnificent voice.)

Peux-tu lire ce passage à voix haute ? (Can you read this passage out loud?)

Il faut écouter la voix de la raison. (One must listen to the voice of reason.)

Les voix des enfants résonnaient dans le jardin. (The children's voices echoed in the garden.)

The 'tone' or 'tonality' of a voice – la tonalité

The French word for 'tone' or 'tonality', especially when referring to a voice, is la tonalité.

Its most common application is to describe the quality, character, or pitch of a person's voice. It encompasses how a voice sounds – whether it's high, low, soft, harsh, warm, or cold.

La tonalité is crucial for conveying emotion and intent. A simple sentence can take on vastly different meanings depending on the tonalité used by the speaker.

While frequently used for voices, la tonalité also extends to other domains. In music, it refers to the key or tonality of a piece. In art, it can describe the overall color scheme or 'tone' of a painting. It can even be used figuratively for the 'tone' of a text or an argument.

You'll often hear phrases like la tonalité de sa voix (the tone of his/her voice) or changer de tonalité (to change one's tone) when discussing communication.

💡 * La tonalité de sa voix était très douce et rassurante. (The tone of her voice was very soft and reassuring.)* Il a adopté une tonalité plus sérieuse en parlant de l'avenir. (He adopted a more serious tone when talking about the future.)* J'aime la tonalité générale de ce morceau de musique. (I like the overall tonality of this piece of music.)* La tonalité du rapport était alarmante. (The tone of the report was alarming.)

The 'timbre' or 'quality' of a voice – le timbre

In French, when you want to talk about the unique quality or character of a voice, the word you're looking for is le timbre.

Literally meaning 'timbre' in English, it refers to the specific sound characteristic that distinguishes different voices or musical instruments, even when they produce the same pitch and loudness.

You'll often hear le timbre used to describe whether a voice is warm, clear, husky, or bright. It's about the inherent sonic fingerprint, not just its pitch or volume.

While commonly used for human voices, le timbre also applies to musical instruments, describing the distinctive sound quality of a violin versus a piano, for instance.

Common phrases include le timbre de sa voix (the timbre of her voice) or avoir un beau timbre de voix (to have a beautiful voice quality).

💡 * J'adore le timbre chaud de sa voix. (I love the warm timbre of her voice.)* Le timbre de cet instrument est unique. (The timbre of this instrument is unique.)* Elle a un timbre de voix très reconnaissable. (She has a very recognizable voice quality.)* Son timbre de voix est parfait pour chanter de l'opéra. (His voice quality is perfect for singing opera.)

The 'sound' of a voice – le son

The French word le son directly translates to “sound” in English. It's a masculine noun and is used broadly to refer to any auditory sensation.

When referring to a voice, le son describes its quality, tone, or pitch. It's not the voice itself (which is la voix), but rather the acoustic characteristic it produces.

You would use le son to talk about whether a voice is clear, deep, high-pitched, or muffled. It focuses on the audible properties rather than the act of speaking or the person's ability to speak.

💡 * Le son de sa voix est très doux. (The sound of her voice is very soft.)

J'aime le son profond de sa voix. (I like the deep sound of his voice.)

Le son de cette musique est incroyable. (The sound of this music is incredible.)

Le son de ma voix est un peu rauque ce matin. (The sound of my voice is a bit hoarse this morning.)

Elle a un son de voix unique. (She has a unique voice sound.)

The 'pitch' or 'register' of a voice – le registre

When discussing the pitch, range, or quality of a voice in French, the essential term you'll encounter is le registre.

Le registre primarily refers to a specific section or area of a voice's range, characterized by a particular vocal quality or mechanism. Think of it as a 'vocal register'.

In musical contexts, it describes different parts of a singer's voice, such as the registre de poitrine (chest voice) or registre de tête (head voice), each with its distinct sound and feel.

It's important to distinguish le registre from la tessiture. While both relate to voice, la tessiture refers to the comfortable and sustainable vocal range of a singer, whereas le registre focuses on the qualitative sections within that range.

While our focus is on voice, it's worth noting that le registre also has other meanings, such as a register of language (e.g., registre familier for informal speech) or a record book.

For vocal discussions, remember that le registre is key to describing the specific qualities and sections of a voice's capabilities. It helps articulate the nuances of vocal expression.

💡 * La soprano a démontré un registre aigu exceptionnel. (The soprano demonstrated an exceptional high register.)

Travailler son registre de poitrine est essentiel pour la puissance vocale. (Working on one's chest voice register is essential for vocal power.)

Il est difficile de passer d'un registre à l'autre sans une bonne technique. (It's difficult to transition from one register to another without good technique.)

Quel est le registre vocal de ce chanteur ? (What is this singer's vocal register?)

The 'intonation' or 'melody' of a voice – l'intonation

In French, l'intonation directly translates to 'intonation' in English. It refers to the rise and fall of the voice when speaking, often described as the 'melody' or 'pitch contour' of a sentence.

Mastering l'intonation is crucial in French, as it not only conveys emotion but also distinguishes between different types of sentences, such as questions, statements, and exclamations. A slight change in pitch can completely alter the meaning or intent of what you're saying.

For instance, a rising intonation at the end of a sentence typically indicates a question (e.g., Tu viens ? - 'Are you coming?'), while a falling intonation signifies a statement (e.g., Tu viens. - 'You are coming.'). Exclamations often have a more dramatic rise and fall.

To improve your French intonation, pay close attention to native speakers. Listen to how their voices rise and fall in different contexts, and try to mimic these patterns. Practicing with audio resources and native speakers is key to sounding more natural.

💡 * Tu es français ? (Are you French? - Rising intonation for a question)

Tu es français. (You are French. - Falling intonation for a statement)

C'est magnifique ! (It's magnificent! - Exclamatory intonation)

Je ne sais pas. (I don't know. - Neutral statement intonation)

The 'volume' or 'loudness' of a voice – le volume

When referring to the loudness or intensity of a voice, the French word you'll use is le volume.

Directly translating to 'volume' in English, le volume is commonly employed to describe how loud or soft someone is speaking, or the overall sound level of a person's voice.

It's also used in phrases related to adjusting the loudness, such as monter le volume (to turn up the volume) or baisser le volume (to turn down the volume), often applied to voices or other sound sources.

💡 *Il parle toujours à voix basse, il faut qu'il augmente le volume. (He always speaks softly, he needs to raise his voice.)
*Peux-tu baisser le volume de ta voix ? Je n'arrive pas à me concentrer. (Can you lower the volume of your voice? I can't concentrate.)
*Le volume de sa voix portait loin dans la salle. (The volume of her voice carried far into the room.)
*Parle avec un volume normal, s'il te plaît. (Please speak at a normal volume.)

The 'whisper' (a soft voice) – le murmure

As a noun, le murmure refers to a whisper or a soft, low sound. It evokes a gentle, often discreet, auditory experience.

When applied to the human voice, un murmure signifies words spoken very softly, barely audible, often out of secrecy, intimacy, or tenderness. It can also describe a low, continuous sound of multiple voices.

Le murmure isn't limited to human speech; it can also describe soft, continuous sounds from nature, like the murmure du vent (whisper of the wind) or murmure de la rivière (murmur of the river), or even the low hum of a machine.

💡 *Elle lui a chuchoté un secret à voix basse, un murmure à peine audible. (She whispered a secret to him in a low voice, a barely audible murmur.)
*J'ai entendu le doux murmure du vent à travers les feuilles. (I heard the soft whisper of the wind through the leaves.)
*Les murmures de la foule montaient doucement. (The murmurs of the crowd rose softly.)
*Un murmure d'approbation a parcouru l'assemblée. (A murmur of approval ran through the assembly.)

The 'shout' or 'scream' (a loud voice) – le cri

The French word for 'shout' or 'scream' (a loud voice) is le cri.

Le cri is a masculine noun. Its plural form is les cris.

A very common expression using le cri is pousser un cri, which means 'to let out a shout' or 'to utter a scream'. This emphasizes the act of producing the sound.

The corresponding verb is crier, meaning 'to shout', 'to scream', or 'to cry out'. It's a regular -er verb.

Le cri can refer to various types of shouts or screams, depending on the context. For example, un cri de joie means 'a cry of joy', and un cri de douleur means 'a cry of pain'.

💡 * J'ai entendu un cri dans la nuit. (I heard a scream in the night.)

Elle a poussé un cri de surprise. (She let out a cry of surprise.)

Les enfants ont poussé des cris de joie en voyant les cadeaux. (The children let out shouts of joy upon seeing the presents.)

Son cri de désespoir a résonné dans le couloir. (His cry of despair echoed in the hallway.)

Il a réprimé un cri de frustration. (He stifled a cry of frustration.)

Are there other ways to say 'voice' in French?

Are there other ways to say “voice” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “voice” in French. But there are other terms, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for “comment dire voix en ___” followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms for voix on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about voices.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different kinds of voices, or words about the voice in French, the WordReference entry for voix is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is the perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of a common French saying: La voix est le miroir de l'âme. (The voice is the mirror of the soul.)

9 ways to say "voice" in French