Audible: Meaning, Usage and Examples
What does audible mean?
Audible is an adjective meaning able to be heard. It does not mean loud: a faint sound can be audible if a listener can hear it. The phrase barely audible means only just loud or clear enough to hear in that situation.
Examples in context
Her reply was barely audible over the noise of the traffic.
The teacher checked that the recording was audible at the back of the classroom.
An audible sigh came from the audience when the result was announced.
Audible, inaudible and audibly
Inaudible means unable to be heard. A sound may be inaudible because it is too quiet, masked by other noise or outside a listener’s hearing range. Audibly is the adverb: “He sighed audibly.”
Use “audible to” to identify the listener: “The signal was audible to everyone in the room.” Use “audible above” or “audible over” for surrounding noise.
Another meaning: an audible in sport
In American football, an audible is a change of play called at the line of scrimmage. Here the word is a countable noun: “The quarterback called an audible.” The sports meaning is different from the adjective in “an audible sound”.
Avoid a common confusion
The company name Audible is a proper name. In an ordinary sentence about hearing, use lowercase audible. You do not need a particular product or app for a sound to be audible.
Check your understanding
Is “a quiet but audible whisper” a contradiction?
Answer: No. A sound can be quiet and still be possible to hear.
Write a sentence using “barely audible”, then change it so that the sound cannot be heard at all.
Audible, loud and mellifluous answer different questions
Audible means possible to hear; loud concerns volume; mellifluous describes a pleasing flow of sound. A voice may be audible without being loud, and loud without being pleasant. Choose the word that answers the relevant question.
Try it: Which word directly answers “Could the audience hear the speaker?”
Check the explanation
Audible. Loud would tell us about volume, while mellifluous would judge the quality of the voice.
Dictionary reference: Merriam-Webster: Audible.
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