tone
/ˈtoʊn/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.49 in modern English
4
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
(in the diatonic scale) An interval of a major second.
noun
(in a Gregorian chant) A recitational melody.
noun
The character of a sound, especially the timbre of an instrument or voice.
noun
The pitch of a word's sound that distinguishes a difference in meaning, as for example in Chinese.
noun
A whining style of speaking; a kind of mournful or artificial strain of voice; an affected speaking with a measured rhythm and a regular rise and fall of the voice.
Dated
noun
The manner in which speech or writing is expressed, especially the aspects of diction (word choice), connotation, emotiveness, and register.
Example Sentences
- "Children often read with a tone."
- "Their tone was dissatisfied, almost menacing."
- "c. 1714 (undated), Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, letter to Alexander Pope The strange situation I am in and the melancholy state of public affairs, […] drag the mind down […] from a philosophical tone or temper, to the drudgery of private and public business."
- "We make crude visual distinctions and effectively meaningless categorizations based on average skin tones, such as black or white."
- "This picture has tone."
- "But nigga don't step wrong, cuz 8ball keep a tone"
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈtoʊn/
- British English: /ˈtəʊn/