# sound

> English word · Adjective · IPA /saʊnd/ · frequency rank #742

## Definitions
1. Healthy.
2. Complete, solid, or secure.
3. Having the property of soundness.
4. Good; acceptable; decent.
5. Quiet and deep.
6. Heavy; laid on with force.
7. Founded in law; legal; valid; not defective.

## Etymology
From Middle English sound, sund, isund, ȝesund, from Old English sund (“sound, safe, whole, uninjured, healthy, prosperous”), from Proto-West Germanic *sund, from Proto-Germanic *sundaz (“healthy”), merged with synonymous Old English ġesund, from Proto-West Germanic *gasund.
Cognate with Scots sound, soun (“healthy, sound”), Saterland Frisian suund, gesuund (“healthy”), West Frisian sûn (“healthy”), Dutch gezond (“healthy, sound”), Low German sund, gesund (“healthy”), German gesund (“healthy, sound”), Danish sund (“healthy”), Swedish sund (“sound, healthy”). Possibly related also to Dutch gezwind (“fast, quick”), German geschwind (“fast, quick”), Old English swīþ (“strong, mighty, powerful, active, severe, violent”). See swith.

## Easily confused with
- **sun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sun)
- **sud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sud)
- **soup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-soup)
- **sung** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sung)
- **sued** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sued)
- **sour** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sour)
- **stud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-stud)
- **sunk** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sunk)
- **spun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-spun)
- **suns** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-suns)
- **stun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-stun)
- **sous** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sous)
- **sown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-sown)
- **SUNY** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-suny)
- **spud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-spud)
- **south** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-south)
- **stand** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-stand)
- **spend** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-spend)
- **squad** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-squad)
- **stunt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sound-vs-stunt)

## Common misspellings (7)
`osund`, `sonud`, `soudn`, `soundd`, `sounnd`, `ssound`, `suond`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/sound