Word: euphony (noun)

Associations

Euphony means a pleasant, smooth, and harmonious sound. It is often used when talking about music, poetry, or speech that sounds nice to the ear.

• In poetry, a poet uses euphony to make verses sound beautiful and soothing.
• A singer's voice can have euphony if it is soft and melodious.
• When someone speaks clearly and gently, their speech has euphony. A well-known synonym is "harmony," but harmony usually refers to musical notes played together, while euphony focuses on the overall pleasant sound, especially in language or speech.

Substitution

You can replace "euphony" with:

• pleasant sound (more general and simple)
• harmony (mostly for music)
• melodiousness (focuses on melody) Using "harmony" might emphasize music more, while "euphony" is often about language or speech.

Deconstruction

The word "euphony" comes from Greek:

• "eu-" means "good" or "well"
• "-phony" means "sound" So, euphony literally means "good sound."

Inquiry

• Can you think of a song or poem that sounds very pleasant to you? Why do you think it has euphony?
• How can euphony change the feeling of a sentence or a speech?
• Have you noticed when someone’s voice or way of speaking is more euphonic? How does it affect how you listen?