Tag: decibels

Welcome to our list of things that are loud!

Noise is measured in decibels, and when noises are over a certain amount of decibels it is described as loud. This is a relative thing as well – what might be loud for a baby might be fine for an adult. Whether you’re learning about sound or wanting to take care of your hearing, we hope you find this list useful!

Here’s a visual list of things that are loud:

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Hopefully that visual list of loud things was useful! Here’s a longer and more descriptive list of things that are loud:

• Fireworks: These are explosive pyrotechnics used for celebrations and entertainment. The resulting explosions are very loud.
• Bomb: A type of explosive weapon that causes an enormous about of violent damage.
• Ambulance: Vehicles used to transport patients who are in need of emergency care. They have loud sirens to warn other vehicles to stay out of the way.
• Fire Truck: A type of emergency vehicle that focuses on fighting fires. Has a loud siren to warn other vehicles on the road.
• Gunfire: The small explosive propulsion that fires the bullet from the gun can be very loud if the gun doesn’t have a silencer.
• Rocket Launch: Rockets are launched through the expelling of a very hot exhaust.
• Jet Engine: Jet engines are generally combustion engines, meaning they run on a series of small explosions.
• Tunguska Meteor: Also known as the Tunguska event. A large explosion that happened in 1908 and flattened 2000 square kilometres.
• Helicopter: The spinning of a helicopter’s rotors are extremely loud.
• Airplane: Plane engines are powered by a series of small explosions (aka combustion engines).
• Fire Alarm: A very loud alarm that warns people in a building that part of the building is on fire.
• Smoke Alarm: A loud alarm that warns of smoke within a room or building.
• Blue Whale: A blue whale’s call can reach up to 188 decibels, which can be heard for hundreds of kilometres (underwater).
• Volcano: The explosions of volcanoes are very loud. The sound of the Krakatoan explosion in 1883 was so loud it actually ruptured eardums forty miles away.
• Earthquake: Every part of an earthquake is loud – the rumbling of the Earth, the buildings being torn apart, etc.
• Grenade: A hand-held explosive weapon that is typically thrown towards a target.
• Bulldozer: A large sort of tractor which pushes large amounts of soil, rubble, and other similar materials.
• Drag Car: A type of racing car made for extreme speed on specialised courses.
• Ship Siren: A very loud horn which is used to communicate with other ships and with ports.
• Thunder: The sound that lightning causes. Ranges from a loud, resounding crack to a low, encompassing rumble.
• Jackhammer: A piece of machinery that is used to break roads and other solid substrates apart.
• Foghorn: Also known as a fog signal. Used to warn vehicles of environmental and navigational hazards.
• Motorcycle: A two-wheeled vehicle. Their engines can be so loud that Harley Davidson actually trademarked their engine noise.
• Police Siren: A siren used on police vehicles to warn other vehicles to stay out of the way.
• Snowmobile: Also known as a motor sled, skimobile, snowscooter or motor sledge. A type of vehicle used to traverse snow.
• Leafblower: A power tool used to blow leaves to tidy roads and gardens.
• School Bell: A loud siren, horn or bell that is used to signal sections of the day, like start of school, lunch, and end of day.
• Car Crash: Depending on the force of the collision, car crashes are generally very loud.
• Car Horn: A horn built into cars used to communicate with other cars, usually as a warning.
• Traffic: The collective sound of motors, beeps and tyres screeching can be very chaotic.
• Speakers/Amps: A piece of machinery that amplifies noise. Usually used for music.
• Wedding: Since weddings are celebratory parties involving many people. alcohol, music and happy noises, they’re generally very loud.
• Sporting Event: A round stadium filled with thousands of cheering, shouting people.
• Construction Site: A building-in-progress filled with the noises of machinery and power tools, as well as people shouting to communicate with one another.
• Firecracker: Also known as bangers or crackers. Small explosives made specifically to create loud noises.
• Megaphone: A portable, hand-held bell-shaped speaker used to amplify one’s voice.
• Power Drill: A power tool used to make holes in surfaces.
• Train: There are many different types of train, and they can be louder depending on speed, shape of their tunnel, engine type, etc.
• Howler Monkey: A monkey which is famous for their loud howl.
• Lion: Lions are famous for their loud roar.
• Hippo: Along with lions, hippos can roar loudly.
• Northern Elephant Seal: Another loud animal known for their roars.
• Hyena: Hyenas are famous for their distinctive, noisy “laugh”.  
• Cicada: Cicadas are known for their droning, buzzing sound.
• Alligator: Known to grunt and bellow to communicate their size to other alligators.
• Elephant: Famous for their loud trumpeting noise.
• Parties: Loud, typically raucous celebrations with groups of people who are noisy and cheerful. Accompanied by loud music.
• Theatre: The music and dramatics of theatre make them a typically noisy space.
• Concert: An enclosed area (can be indoors or outdoors) with amplified live music.
• Bagpipes: A Scottish woodwind instrument.
• Accordion: Box-shaped instruments that are driven by bellows.
• Party Poppers: Small crackers that are used at parties and other celebrations.
• Christmas Cracker: Festive decor that makes a loud snapping noise when pulled apart.
• Vacuum Cleaner: A machine that cleans floors through powerful suction.
• Sewing Machine: A machine that pushes a needle in and out of cloth at a high speed. Runs on a motor and can be quite loud.
• Chainsaw: A piece of machinery with a rotating saw blade on a chain. Usually used to cut trees and logs.
• Welder: A machine that uses electric current to weld pieces of metal together.
• Lawnmower: Also known as a mower or grass cutter. A motor-powered rotary blade used to efficiently cut grass.
• Sander: A machine with a high speed emery belt used to smooth down surfaces.  
• Staple Gun: A piece of machinery that forcefully pushes a strong metal staple into a surface.
• Hail: Pieces of frozen rain that vary in size.
• Juicer: Electric juicers that are powered by a motor can be very loud (as opposed to hand juicers).
• Food Processor: A sort of large blender that is equipped to handle larger, denser food items.
• Coffee Grinder: A machine that grinds coffee beans in preparation for making coffee.
• Whistling Kettle: Some kettles have a spout with a small slit in them so when steam passes through, the kettle makes a loud whistling noise to let people know that the water inside has boiled.
• Hair Dryer: A grooming tool that blows either hot or cold air to dry hair after washing.
• Primary School: Since primary schools are packed with many young, emotional and excitable children, they’re generally very chaotic and loud places.
• Rainstorm: Depending on what the rain is falling on, these can vary in noise levels.
• Pub: A public business used for social gatherings where alcohol is served.
• Club: A public business where dancing, loud music and alcohol is served.
• Bar: A business that is licensed to serve alcohol and will generally also show televised fights and races or host gambling facilities.
• Noisy Office: Computers, discussions, arguments, printers and phone calls can make offices a fairly noisy place to be.
• Alarm Clock: Alarms that are used to wake people up at the desired time each morning.
• Car Engine: Since car engines run on a series of small explosions (combustion), they tend to be noisy.
• Tinnitus: A ringing in the ears that has no external source.
• Screaming: A very loud, urgent way of communicating.
• Baby Crying: Since babies aren’t able to form words, they only have crying to communicate their needs.
• Shouting: A noise and urgency level between a raised voice and screaming.
• Drumkit: A percussive instrument generally composed of four drums and four cymbals.
• Bass Drum: The largest drum in a drum kit which is played by pressing a pedal with your foot. Has a deep, bassy sound.
• Snare Drum: The central drum in a kit. Has a series of metal beads that can be pressed to the underside of the drum with a lever, producing a raspy, militaristic sound.
• Gong: A thick metal disc which produces a reverberating sound when struck.
• Cymbals: Thin metal discs which produce a light, reverberating sound when struck.
• Tuba: The lowest-pitched brass instrument.
• French Horn: A brass instrument with a coiled middle and a flared bell.
• Trombone: A brass instrument that varies in pitch depending on a sliding tube.
• Trumpet: A brass instrument that uses three buttons to vary pitch.
• Tyres Screeching: When the rubber of tyres experience a lot of friction against the road, it can cause a burning smell, marks on the road, and a loud screeching sound.
• Door Slamming: If a doorframe doesn’t have any padding or stoppers, slamming the door can create a loud bang.
• Balloon Popping: Even though it’s referred to as “popping”, the noise is more accurately described as a bang.
• Organ: These are musical instruments which can vary greatly in size and can be as large as an entire room. They are similar to pianos, but with large pipes that amplify noise.
• Didgeridoo: Tubular indigenous Australian instruments that produce a variety of booming, humming noises.
• Microphone: A device that amplifies one’s voice.
• Violin: A stringed instrument that is played with a bow.
• Whistle: A small device that produces a loud whistling noise when blown into.
• Bell: A cone-shaped instrument that produces a ringing sound when struck.
• Grey Wolf: A canine with a very loud howl.
• Sperm Whale: These whales can make loud clicks, “creaks” and groans to communicate over long distances.
• Oilbird: Very loud birds which produce screams, snarls, and snores.
• North American Bullfrog: Frogs with a very loud croak.
• Greater Bulldog Bat: Also known as fishing bats. They use noise to find small ripples in the water.
• Kakapo: Also known as the owl parrot. Makes loud, booming calls as well as high-frequency, metallic “ting” sounds.
• Moluccan Cockatoo: The noisiest, loudest cockatoo species. Can be heard up to 5 miles away.
• Three-Wattled Bellbird: A migratory bird with a distinctive, bell-like call.
• Coqui Frog: Known for their loud calls.
• Tiger Pistol Shrimp: A shrimp that creates a loud snapping noise that is louder than a gunshot (210 decibels) by creating and collapsing a bubble by snapping its claws.
• Toilet Flush: A loud, flushing, gurgling noise that is generally around 80 decibels.

We hope this list of loud things was useful and that you found what you needed!

We did our best to cover all of the varied meanings of “loud” with our visual gallery of loud things and descriptive list. But if you feel there’s something we missed, please feel free to let us know and leave a comment.

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