Skip to content

Ton

sound

noun TOHN Less Common
Arts & Culture Music

Origin: from Greek 'tonos' (tension, pitch)

Also means

clay

Usage Note

Ton is two different words sharing a spelling: der Ton (plural Töne) is sound, tone or musical note, while der Ton (no plural) is clay. Watch the idiom den Ton angeben — 'to set the tone / call the shots'.

Examples

"Der Ton ist viel zu laut."

Natural Translation

The sound is far too loud.

Literal Translation

The sound is far too loud.

Explore German by topic