AEE: Ding! Buzz! Beep! Which Word Should You Use When You Hear a Sound?

This is an all-ears English podcast. Ding, buzz, beep. Which word should you use when you hear a sound?

Welcome to the All Ears English Podcast, downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection, with your American hosts, Lindsay McMahon, the English adventurer. and Michelle Kaplan, the New York Radio Girl, coming to you from Colorado and New York City, USA.

What can you say when your phone goes off or when someone calls or when someone rings your doorbell? There are so many moments in life when we need these words. Listen in to get them today.

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Hello there Michelle. How's everything today? How you feeling today?

Feeling good. How are you?

I'm pretty good. I'm pretty good. Michelle, I got a question for ya.

यारी

So are you good about putting your phone on silent when you actually need to? Like is your s is your phone on silent right now?

That's a good question. I should check that.

Yeah. Or does it ding or ring a lot, maybe when you're recording a podcast or when you're in public or in awkward places where it's really rude to have phone ring? Yeah.

it's always I mean It definitely has uh you know, or I've had an alarm go off when we're recording or something like that. So it can happen. I try to be pretty careful about it. Actually I think I have more the opposite issue. I think it's I mostly have it on silent and then I can't find it. So

I know. That that happens to me all the time. Yeah.

You're calling and then you're like, Well it's on time

Yeah, yeah. So when my my as a a funny story, my partner and I first started dating back in twenty sixteen. My phone I didn't know it, but my phone was on silent for like two years.

Oh my god.

And so I would always have these miss call I would have like three miss calls from my partner. And I was like, this person's kind of a stalker. You know, why am I getting why are they calling three times? Like one's enough. One missed call is enough. And I didn't realize until later that it was actually on silent for a long time.

Oh funny. Yeah. So yeah. Sometimes you can go too far with being on silence. That's hilarious. Um but I feel that Dan is always having things go off and I'm like, Turn it off,

That is really annoying, right? It's got lots of dings and rings and who knows what else, right?

Yep. So today we're gonna go over words that deal with everyday sounds. So Um actually a long time ago I think we did an episode on Anomonopias. Um it was but that was over a thousand episodes ago. And today we're focusing on um is these words because of a recent episode we did on the word ding dealing mostly with cars. Mm-hmm.

Mm. Yeah, right. You got a ding in your car, more of a dent type of thing. But these these sounds, like what do they sound like? I mean, I know the sound of a dog barking. is articulated differently in French versus Japanese versus English, right? We know this. We learn this when we learn different languages. We talk about these fun little little aspects of the language.

Yeah, exactly. So this is gonna be fun. Um so guys hit the follow button wherever you're listening to the All Ears English podcast. Um, so that you never miss an episode. We are here five days a week. Let us drop right into your queue so you don't have to go searching around for us.

Exactly. So let's start with the most common thing we hear, which I feel like now my phone's gonna ding while we're recording. I'm gonna feel very self conscious about it. My WhatsApp or something is gonna ding for sure. What is what is the word, Michelle? It is

Ding. Ding. Ding. Yeah. So I would say this is this sound is a i is the sound an iPhone. Text message makes. Like specifically iPhone. I feel like it's a ding, right? Right, right. It's a cute little ding.

Or I think WhatsApp makes that sound. Um but yeah, like I f I feel like you can well, there's standard baked in like automatic default settings for iPhone, which I think is usually a ding, right?

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, or you might hear someone say Like saying someone is right, right? Um possibly sarcastically. Oh ding ding like ding ding ding. You got it, right? Being sarcastic.

No, I even said this last night. I had a theory. Uh we have a contractor working in our house and I had a theory about the contractor just something. And then I I said the theory and then and then I said to myself, ding ding, that's it, right? That's the missing piece that we haven't understood about this person, right?

Right. It's like you figured it out.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You might also hear it like on a game show. Or now that I'm now that I'm talking about it, I I I think also maybe like the sound of Um like a oven like a I think of like an easy big oven, right? Like thing, you know.

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Sure. Opening, it's ready. Whatever you've baked is ready, right? Yeah.

Yes.

Yeah. Love it. Um so you say something like ding ding ding, that's the correct answer. Right.

Right. Or I just heard a ding. Was that your phone?

Right. So the difference here here, you're using the word as the thing, whereas in the first example, you're actually making the sound. Ding ding ding.

Right.

That's the correct answer. Right.

Right. And you have to do a ding ding ding. Like you can't you can't just be like ding ding ding. That's no. You have to you have to sing it.

You really do kind of have to elevate your voice a little bit.

Right. Right. Or with a little bit of a snark. Ding ding ding, you're right. It is time for you to walk the dog.

Yeah. And we we can bake in sarcasm here, right? There's a little sarcasm here, a little like, hey, I've been walking the dog every night. It's your turn. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Like like, oh don't you think you should be doing something right now? Oh, I I don't know. Oh, oh the dog hasn't gone out. Ding ding ding.

Exactly. Exactly. You're maybe you're overwhelmed with all the work you're doing and your partner's just there watching TV, you know.

Yep, yep, yep. So it ha that has some smar snark to it.

Yeah, yeah. What else?

Yeah. Well then there's beep.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So what do when would you hear this?

always hear this leave a message after the beep, right? You've reached Lindsay's voicemail. Leave a message after the beep. Beep. Right? And then usually a beep. Um right. Or

Or maybe yeah, this is a big one. Smoke alarms running out of battery. Oh

Always happens at three in the morning. Yes.

Exactly. And then you have to find it and then you have to get up on a ladder.

Um

So yeah, that in my hair are like lots of electronics. I mean uh yeah the the microwave beeps, you know, when you're pressing the buttons or when it

Fridge beeps if you leave it open too long. Yeah.

It's like

I leave the fridge open constantly. Just

Yeah. Yeah. Um or your TV might beep, right? Some sort of electronics. So but then there's also the car horn, right? Beep beep.

Yeah, it's always like the the um the pitch of the horn is always uh commensurate with the size of the car, I feel like. If you're driving a little mini, it's always like beep beep. And then the trucks have a you know, they they obviously don't have a horn like that, right? Right.

Right, right, right. Or also not just honking the horn, but like w maybe um you hear if you're describing like a uh something backing up, like a big truck, like you can tell that they're they have that beep sound, come on, beep, beep, beep, yeah.

Yes. Or we might articulate beep beep. Right. We might say that if we're trying to move through a group, either driving through

Or

Sure. Yeah. This is a funny episode. We're just sitting around today.

But it but it is funny. I mean you made a good point, Lindsay, because sometimes you just say it like oh leave a message after the beep and sometimes you actually do the sound.

Yeah, you do the sound, exactly. Right. So some examples here. We're not available right now, but please leave a message after the beep. Okay.

So that's a very common script for voicemail. Um Or I couldn't sleep because the smoke alarm was beeping all night, even when I replaced the batteries. So that makes me think there's a friends episode where they're looking for the beep. Um

Probably. Sounds like a friend scenario. Yeah. Um, or you'll know the microwave is done when you hear it beep, right? The popcorn is ready.

Yes. Um, and then there's buzz um Yeah. So this is more of like a vibration sound. I mean when you think about how it sounds like buzz vibration. Um so it could be like from a phone, right? If you leave your phone on vibrate, maybe not silent, maybe vibrate. Um or like an electric razor. Anything else you can think of?

I mean that's why they call it like a buzz cut, right? Because when you get when guys get a buzz cut they I'm guessing that's why.

I'm guessing, yeah, I never thought about that. Yep.

Yeah, yeah, that's interesting. Um, anything else that buzzes? Hmm. I mean sometimes certain doorbells can buzz, right? Uh like when you especially I don't know, maybe like mansions or I'm imagining a fancy home might have a buzz doorbell for a

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Or like if you live in New York in a in a walk up building, someone buzz you have to buzz something.

To buzz someone in. That's a great one. Yes. Um so and then or s also a device, right? Like at the buzzer. So like maybe at the end of a game, like uh, you know, somebody makes a shot. right at the end, um, at the buzzer or in a game show. Bzz right so

So it time's up. Right. Yeah.

Exactly. Um so here's an example. My phone was buzzing, so I had to leave it outside.

Yes. Or he made a goal right at the buzzer, meaning right at the last minute of the game. Right? Yeah. So it it was a valid goal.

Exactly.

Hey.

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All right, Michelle, there's a few more here that we want to share with our listeners. What is click? So a click.

Yeah. This is more like a tapping sound. So like a sh like it could be like a short sound, something like a button you're pressing or a door you're locking. Right. Um so uh or it could be the sound you hear. Not so much anymore, but it used to be the sound you hear if somebody hangs up on you. Um you know pressing the actual you know the

Oh yeah,'cause you can't hear that anymore. Now it's just blank, right? If someone hangs up on you. But it used to be, yeah, it would just be the click until you hear the click. Um I heard this weird clicking sound. Turns out my son kept locking and unlocking the door.

Yeah. Um, or uh oh, I heard a click. She definitely hung up on me. Have you Lindsay, have you ever thought someone h hung up on you but they just lost the connection?

Yeah, sure. All the time. We've done episodes on this too before. What yeah, what to say when the connection's going out. You're going into a tunnel or something.

Right, yes. But yeah.

The click. Yeah, this yeah, I feel like this is just about the function of something. So this can really depend on what you're talking about. If there's some kind of an item that has to you would talk about a click because you would hear that, right? Right.

Right. Um, or then there's alarm. So that's loud, right? Like the warning of something. So a smoke alarm or security alarm. Um, very loud. Um or a I mean, or your alarm clock, of course.

Sure, yeah, yeah. Do you use your phone as your alarm clock or do you have a special alarm clock, Michelle?

I use my phone. Y I know you have an alarm clock because you're putting your phone away. How has that been working out?

Well, these days we've been moving around because of our renovation projects. So I have been I've we've been in different condos and Airbnbs, uh all sorts of things. Life is chaotic right now, Michelle. It's crazy. Yeah. So I am now using my phone, but when I get back into my home soon, I will go back to that nice Zen alarm clock. It's great.

Yeah. So have you so but has it made you look at your phone a lot again before bed?

No, I would actually say as long as I have a book that I can read that I'm interested in, I'm pretty good at still like letting the phone sit next to the bed and leave.

Right.

I don't feel that same pull that I used to feel quite as much.

Really credible. Yeah.

Small wins. Small wins for sure.

Small wins. And then we're gonna do one more it and that's the ring, right? So m more just like what you say, Oh, my phone is ringing um or a bell ringing.

Yeah. I mean sometimes you might hear like church bells. I grew up in New England, a place where every little town has a town square and has a church at the head of the square. It's very cute scenery. Look you'd see on a postcard, right? Um and sometimes the church bells will ring, right? At certain times. Mm-hmm.

Mm. Yep. Yep. Exactly. So you might hear your phone is ringing. I hear it in another room.

Yeah, or did someone ring the doorbell? Yeah. Okay. So we got a lot of sounds. Rings, eat.

Alright, so I was almost asleep and then I heard this beeping sound. So I figured it was a smoke alarm.

Oh, that's the worst. I hate when that alarm goes off.

Yeah, but then it stopped out of nowhere. So I was relieved. So I went to sleep and then I woke up to my phone dinging at three AM. So my friend was texting me who lives in California, so she thought I was still awake.

Oh no, you have to put it on silence.

I shudd. So then it started to ring and I picked it up and it was just a butt dial from the same friend.

Oh not the butt dial, that's the worst.

Oh, God.

You don't want to put your phone on silent, you could put it on vibrate, so it just buzzes.

Yeah, true. That would be less disruptive. But so then I heard a clicking sound from the other room.

That's creepy. What was it?

Of course it was Charlie just standing outside my door, tapping on it, waiting for me to let him come into my room.

Oh, I guess he wanted an early walk?

ding ding ding

You need a nap. Oh yeah. Dogs will do that. They some some dogs are really smart. They know how to open doors or they know exactly what to nudge to make a sound. Right.

Yeah. Does Key Forever wake you up for an earlier walk?

He like he will stand right by the bed and sta he's a border collie, so he's used to moving things with his eyes, making things happen with his eyes. That's what border colllies do, right? Uh, when they're like originally that's what they did is move sheep. And so he will stand there and just stare at me. But it's always right at the time that the alarm goes off. If it doesn't go off, he'll get up at that time. He knows what time we get up. Yeah, he's so smart.

You said I said I was almost asleep and then I heard this beeping sound.

Yep. And then I said, Oh, that's the worst. I hate when that alarm goes off.

And then I said I went to sleep and then woke up to my phone dinging at three AM. So I didn't say ringing, right? So that sounds more like a text message, right? I wouldn't say dinging if it was if it was somebody calling, right?

That's a really important distinction, actually. I mean, that's a really big key to uh with today's episode. Ring is a call, ding is a noise.

Right? Yeah. Yeah. Yes.

kind of a a a buzz or a kind of a r um yeah, a beep. Oh my gosh.

Ha ha ha.

Uh and then and then he said I should. So then it started to ring and I picked it up and it was just a butt dial. So now someone did call you, right?

Uh-huh, uh-huh. Yes. Um so then you made a suggestion. You said if you don't want to put your phone on silent, you could put it on vibrate, so it just buzzes. Uh

Maybe a different pitch of a sound less

Disruptor.

Um, and then you said, yeah, true, that would be less disruptive. Then I heard a clicking sound from the other room. So this sounds like a door, right? Trying to latch or opening or something?

Right, right, exactly. Um, and then so it turns out it was uh Charlie, my dog, uh standing outside of my door, tapping on a tap is another one we could have done, but we'll save that for another day. We've done a lot. And you said, Oh, I guess he wanted an early walk and I said ding ding ding, which is the one we're saying that you're right.

Yeah, you're indicating a little sarcasm, a little exhaustion here, right?

Yes, not towards you, towards the dog.

Dog. Yeah. Towards all your responsibilities at home, maybe. Right.

Exactly. So it was a very noisy night.

Noisy night. All right. Chaotic evening. Um, guys, go on over to 2606. Scratch, sting, or dent, how to talk about car damage in English. This was the inspiration for today's episode, but it's a very different episode. We're talking about car damage. So if you're driving a car in an English-speaking country or you just want to know about this. Cars are a big part of American culture, we can tell you that for sure.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So yeah, takeaway for today. I mean, this is just a like a fun, silly episode, but it's actually very useful because there are a lot of nuances between these words, right, Lindsay?

Yeah, and we had a lot of fun recording it. So that's Hopefully our listeners had fun listening. Guys, this would be, I mean, you know. it's it's this is not super sophisticated grammar today, but this is part of fluency, right? So getting to the B2C one level, think about mastering this because you can say a lot here.

Right? Yeah.

Yes, exactly. So knowing the I mean, it it's it sounds so silly, but it's people are constantly talking about oh, these noises, the th the ding, the buzz, the beep. Right.

And if you don't know what to say, what do you say? Right. If you don't know what that word is in English, what do you even say? Right? Right. Yeah. So this is perfect. Yeah.

All right.

All right.

All right, Lindsay, well I dun I'm trying to think of a creative way to end it, but I All right guys. Thanks for listening. Bye Lindsay.

Take care, bye.

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