hoarse
Rough and scratchy
Hoarse describes a voice that sounds rough, strained, or raspy—the quality you get from shouting too much, a bad cold, or heavy smoking.
She was hoarse from cheering at the game.
He spoke in a hoarse whisper.
The roughness comes from irritated or strained vocal cords.
Rough and grating
- gravellyContaining small stones
- croakyRough-sounding, like illness
- scratchyRough and irritating
- roughUneven in surface
husky · grating · throaty · gruff · coarse · harsh · wheezy · breathy
Inflamed voice box condition
- pharyngitisInflamed upper airway lining
- tonsillitisInflamed throat tissue
- bronchitisInflamed airway disease
- croupLaryngeal infection in children
aphonia · dysphonia · inflammation · infection · throat · cough · cold · flu
Excessive employment of something
- shoutingVocally projecting loudly
- screamingLoud, shrill vocalizing
- cheeringVocal encouragement given
- singingVocal music-making
exertion · fatigue · strained · exhaustion · dehydration · projection · belting · yelling
raspy
Rough and grating
rough · husky · grating · throaty · gruff · coarse · harsh · wheezy · breathy · cracked
laryngitis
Inflamed voice box condition
- pharyngitisInflamed upper airway lining
- tonsillitisInflamed throat tissue
- bronchitisInflamed airway disease
croup · aphonia · dysphonia · inflammation · infection · throat · cough · cold · flu · virus
overuse
Excessive employment of something
singing · exertion · fatigue · strained · exhaustion · dehydration · projection · belting · yelling · rallying
smoking
Inhaling burning tobacco
pollution · irritants · chronic · habitual · weathered · worn · aged · gravelly · world-weary · seasoned
murmur
Soft, indistinct continuous sound
weak · faint · muffled · rasping · forced · effortful · struggling · faltering · thin
- throat ailmentssore throat, strep throat, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, laryngitis
- sound qualitiesloudness, pitch, tone, faintness, clarity
- speech qualitiesarticulate, clear, loud, soft, quiet
- breathingbreathing, inhalation, breath, exhalation, breathe
- loud criesscream, screech, shriek, yell, howl
- voicevoice, vocal folds, utterance, sound, voice box
hoarseclear
Without obstruction or fog
smooth · mellifluous · crystal-clear · melodious · silken
- hoarse voiceRough, strained speech