student asking question

What's the main difference between "sound" and "noise"? Does "noise" refers to something more unpleasant?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To describe it in the simplest terms, "sound" is what we hear. Noise is defined as "unwanted sound." The louder a sound is, the more likely it will be considered to be "noise." Thus, you are correct in thinking that noise is used to refer to more unpleasant sounds. Ex: Sound is considered by many to be one of our most fundamental senses. Ex: All of a sudden, there was a loud screeching noise from behind us.

Popular Q&As

04/18

Complete the expression with a quiz!