sone: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowTechnical/Scientific
Quick answer
What does “sone” mean?
A unit of subjective loudness, equal to the loudness of a 1000 Hz tone at 40 dB above the listener's threshold of hearing.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A unit of subjective loudness, equal to the loudness of a 1000 Hz tone at 40 dB above the listener's threshold of hearing.
A technical measure used in psychoacoustics to quantify the perceived intensity of sound, scaled linearly so that doubling the number of sones corresponds to a doubling of perceived loudness.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The term is international scientific jargon.
Connotations
None beyond its technical definition.
Frequency
Equally rare in both varieties, confined to specialist literature.
Grammar
How to Use “sone” in a Sentence
The [NOUN] has a loudness of [NUMBER] sones.The [NOUN] is rated at [NUMBER] sones.Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rarely used; might appear in specifications for quiet household appliances (e.g., range hoods, bathroom fans).
Academic
Used in psychology and engineering papers on psychoacoustics, sound perception, and noise control.
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation.
Technical
The primary domain; used in acoustics standards, audio equipment manuals, and noise assessment reports.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “sone”
Neutral
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sone”
- Mispronouncing it to rhyme with 'bone' (correct) vs. 'gone'.
- Using it as a general synonym for 'decibel' or 'phon'.
- Treating it as a countable noun without a number (e.g., 'It's very sone').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, both derive from the Latin 'sonus' meaning sound, but 'sone' is a specific modern unit.
It is pronounced like 'stone' without the 't' (/soʊn/ in American English, /səʊn/ in British English).
It is highly unlikely. Most people use decibels (dB) informally. Sones are for technical specifications.
A phon is a unit of loudness level (corrected for frequency), while a sone is a unit of loudness sensation, designed to be linear to human perception.
A unit of subjective loudness, equal to the loudness of a 1000 Hz tone at 40 dB above the listener's threshold of hearing.
Sone is usually technical/scientific in register.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'sone' sounding like 'stone' dropped in water: the 'sound' waves it creates can be measured for loudness.
Conceptual Metaphor
LOUDNESS IS A MEASURABLE QUANTITY (like weight or length).
Practice
Quiz
What does the unit 'sone' measure?