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Glite Dictionary
sound spectrograph

sound spectrograph

9.1
A machine that shows different pitches in a sound as a picture
  • noun
  • /saʊnd ˈspɛktrəˌgræf/
  • Specialized
translation icon : espectrógrafo de sonido
  • The sound spectrograph is commonly used in phonetics research to analyze speech patterns.

Examples

  • Researchers used a sound spectrograph to analyze bird songs.

  • They used a sound spectrograph to compare the acoustic differences between bird calls.

  • A sound spectrograph can reveal hidden frequencies in a musical recording.

  • The sound spectrograph revealed the hidden frequencies.

  • A sound spectrograph can reveal hidden frequencies in a musical recording.

  • The sound spectrograph is commonly used in phonetics research to analyze speech patterns.

  • They used a sound spectrograph to compare the acoustic differences between bird calls.

Synonyms

spectrograph
vssound spectrograph
  • Specialized
4 8.9

A machine that records the different colours of light from something for scientific study

is specific to analysing frequency content of sound signals
phonoscope
vssound spectrograph
  • Specialized
9.9

An instrument that shows sound waves so you can see vibrations

focuses on frequency spectrum rather than simple wave shapes

How Detailed

spectrogram
  • Specialized
1 8.3
sound spectrograph
  • Specialized
9.1

Surface Forms

sound spectrograph singular
sound spectrographs plural

Morphology

sound + spectrograph

The compound directly combines 'sound' (an auditory signal) with 'spectrograph' (a device that records or plots a spectrum), so the sense 'an instrument that produces a visual representation of a sound's spectrum' is transparently derivable from the parts. This follows regular English noun-noun compounding and would be clear to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.

Etymology

Sound spectrograph is the name for a machine that makes a picture of a sound. The spectrograph turns sound into lines or colors on a screen so you can 'see' different pitches and hidden frequencies, which is why it means 'an instrument that shows the range of frequencies in a sound'.