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Glite Dictionary
phon

phon

1 9.9
A unit that measures how loud a sound seems to people
  • noun
  • /fɒn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : fon
  • For example, when searching by individual components of reading (i.e., phon* awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, or comprehension), each was combined with learning disability* and, in a separate search, with intervention.

Examples

  • The teacher explained that a phon measures how loud a sound is perceived to be by the ear.

  • Phon-Amnuaisuk 15 implemented a constraint system for harmonizing chorales in the style of J. S. Bach, adding control over the harmonization process in a flexible way.

    Academic text (2018)

  • - Still using that janky old phon...

    Night of the Living Deb (2015)

  • In acoustics, a phon is a unit that quantifies how humans perceive sound intensity.

  • When discussing sound levels, audiologists often refer to the phon as a measure of loudness.

Synonyms

phono
vsphon
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A unit that measures how loud a sound seems or an informal word for a record player

is the technical unit term without the informal record player meaning
sone
vsphon
  • Specialized
9.9

A measure of how loud a sound seems to a person for comparing noises from machines like fans

is the general perceptual loudness measure not tied to a specific reference tone

Surface Forms

phon singular
phons plural

Etymology

The word phon comes from the Greek root phon- meaning 'sound' and you see it in everyday words like phone and microphone. A phon measures how loud a 'sound' seems to a person, so the name reminds you it is about 'loudness'.