Trivia Time

What are sounds above the human audible range are called?

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audible

American  

[aw-duh-buhl] / ˈɔ də bəl /

adjective

1. loud enough to be heard; able to be heard.

   The pun brought an audible groan from his colleague.

   When I’m working in the basement, the sound of the traffic is barely audible.

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noun

audibles plural

1. Also called automatic, checkoff.  Football. a play called aloud by the quarterback at the line of scrimmage to supersede the play originally agreed upon as a result of a change in strategy.

   The quarterback called an audible that sent the running back past the other offensive guard.

   Cheering by the fans made it hard for either team to hear any audibles.

idioms

1. call an audible, to make a last-minute change of plan in response to circumstances, new information, etc..

   Instead of the first song on their set list, the band called an audible and played one that was known to be especially popular on campus.

audible British  

/ ˈɔːdɪbəl /

adjective

1. perceptible to the hearing; loud enough to be heard

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noun

1. American football a change of playing tactics called by the quarterback when the offense is lined up at the line of scrimmage

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• audibility
  noun
• audibleness
  noun
• nonaudibility
  noun
• nonaudibleness
  noun
• subaudibility
  noun
• subaudibleness
  noun
• nonaudible
  adjective
• quasi-audible
  adjective
• subaudible
  adjective
• audibly
  adverb
• nonaudibly
  adverb
• quasi-audibly
  adverb
• subaudibly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• audibles
  plural

Etymology

Origin of audible

First recorded in 1520–30; from Late Latin audībilis, from Latin audī(re) “to hear” + -bilis -ble

Explanation

Something audible can be heard. Sometimes things that people don't want others to hear become audible, such as a growling stomach during a quiet moment at the movies. Coming from the Latin audīre, "to hear," audible is an adjective meaning "heard" or "hearable." A scream is audible, a barking dog next door is audible, and a siren is audible. Why do some writers use the expression "a barely audible whisper?" Isn’t that what a whisper is — something you can barely hear?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

audible audibles

The Russian defence ministry said "signal flares were fired and audible signals were sounded" to get the attention of the yacht on Tuesday.

From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026

The Russian vessel fired warning shots after sounding an audible warning to get the yacht to move out of its way.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

Faint chants of “Libertad” were audible from inside the facility.

From Slate ● May 29, 2026

It’s impossible to pin him down from his large and varied discography with music from early to recent, everything consistently played with clarity and audible pleasure.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

Heads turned when they came in, and a murmur, barely audible, of astonishment and pleasure swept over the church.

From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin

He also called the audibles on defense, was entrusted with increased leadership roles and delivered against one top opponent after another, leaving little doubt he can mix it up against the best receivers anywhere.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 22, 2024

Rapp has been calling plays since he was a 7-year-old peewee quarterback performing audibles at the line of scrimmage.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 22, 2022

Through 12 practices, early enrollee quarterback Sam Huard — currently situated behind sophomore returning starter Dylan Morris and graduate transfer Patrick O’Brien — is attempting to absorb play calls and cadences and audibles and coverages.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 27, 2021

So Brady’s teammates won’t have a hard time hearing audibles.

From Washington Times ● Jan. 8, 2021

Visibles are swiftlier carried to the sense than audibles.

From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah

Related Words

• deafening
• detectable
• discernible
• distinct
• loud
• perceptible
• resounding
• sounding