Why your voice is like a fingerprint

The features that make your voice unique. Subscribe and turn on notifications 🔔 so you don’t miss any videos: Most of us use our voices every day to communicate one way or another, but the way we produce sound is so much more than the words we say. Our voices are about as unique as fingerprints — similar instruments, but with endless variations. As humans, we each essentially produce sound in the same physiological way, but it’s not as simple as plucking a guitar string. And when we talk we’re dropping clues about who we are, what we do, and where we’re from. A dialect can hint where a person is from. An expressive range might suggest a person is a singer or actor. A slow and quiet tone could mean a person is feeling sad or tired. Check out the video above to learn more about the ins and outs of how we produce sounds and why no one else sounds like you. For more on the ins and outs of how we produce sound: For more on how puberty changes a person’s voice, including what we do and don’t know about why our voice boxes are so sensitive to sex hormones: You can find Justin Stoney’s website here: Note: The headline on this piece has been updated. Previous headline: Why no one sounds exactly like you Make sure you never miss behind the scenes content in the Vox Video newsletter, sign up here: is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what’s really driving the events in the headlines. Check out Support Vox’s reporting with a one-time or recurring contribution: Shop the Vox merch store: Watch our full video catalog: Follow Vox on Facebook: Follow Vox on Twitter: Follow Vox on TikTok: @voxdotcom