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Why does your recorded voice sound so different from what you hear in your head?

Doris Wai
24 Jun, 2024

  • If you’ve ever been surprised by the sound of your voice, you’re not alone! Here’s why you sound so different in your head

Do you get surprised by the sound of your own voice? Photo: Shutterstock
Do you get surprised by the sound of your own voice? Photo: Shutterstock
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What are the three main parts of the ear?

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Do your friends hear your deeper or higher voice when you talk to them on the phone?

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What are the three main parts of the ear?

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Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)

Have you ever noticed that your recorded voice sounds different from what you hear in your head? This is because of how we hear voices.

Our ear receives and processes sound. It consists of three main parts: the outer ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.

When we speak or sing, our vocal cords vibrate and create sound waves. These waves reach our ears in two ways: through the air and directly through our skull bones. The sound we hear is a mix of both ways the waves travel.

When sound travels through our skull bones, it reaches our inner ears. This makes our own voice sound deeper to ourselves – and only we can hear that.

On the other hand, recordings only capture the sounds travelling through the air. This is why our recorded voice may sound higher and thinner than the one we hear inside our head.

If you are curious about which is your real voice, it is the recorded version. But if you want to know how your voice sounds when it travels through your skull, you can simply cover your ears to hear it.

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Enjoy the audio version of this article!
Think about it

Do your friends hear your deeper or higher voice when you talk to them on the phone?