tone

The word “tone” means the quality or character of a sound, especially its pitch, timbre, or emotional colouring. In plain terms, how something sounds or feels — the pitch of a voice, the mood of a message, or a shade of colour.

“Tone” is pronounced TOHN (/ˈtoʊ̯n/ in IPA).

Here is “tone” used in a sentence: “Her tone of voice made it clear she was annoyed.”

Depending on how it is used, “tone” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “tone” comes from Ancient Greek. From Latin tonus ("sound, tone"), from Ancient Greek tonos ("tension, pitch"), related to teino, "to stretch." A doublet of "tune.".

“Tone” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Tone” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the quality or character of a sound, especially its pitch, timbre, or emotional colouring.

Pitch is simply how high or low a sound is, set by its frequency. Tone is broader — the overall quality and character of a sound, including its pitch but also its timbre and emotional colour. Two instruments can play the same pitch yet have very different tones.

Timbre is the specific quality that lets you tell a violin from a flute playing the same note. Tone is a wider term for the character of a sound overall, and timbre is one part of it. In everyday use, people often say 'tone' when they really mean timbre.

Tone of voice is the emotional colour a speaker gives their words — warm, sharp, sarcastic, or gentle. The same sentence can sound kind or cutting depending on it. This sense grows directly from tone's core meaning: the character and feeling carried by a sound.