What Causes the ‘Murmur’ of a Crowd?

A crowd sounds like it's whispering because all the people are talking at once, and their voices blend together. It’s like when a bunch of kids in a room all start chatting, you can’t hear what anyone is saying, but you can feel the energy. When lots of people talk at the same time, the sound becomes soft and flowing, almost like a wave or a sea of voices.

Take the quiz →

Examples

  1. At a soccer game, thousands of fans are cheering and shouting, all at once, their voices blend into one big sound.
  2. In the cafeteria during lunchtime, every table is talking at the same time, it feels like the room has its own voice.
  3. When you’re in a packed subway car, everyone around you is speaking softly or loudly, but together they make a soft background noise.

Ask a question

See also

Discussion

Recent activity

Nothing here yet.