What does baritone mean?
Word: Baritone
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Baritone means a man's singing voice of middle depth, neither the highest nor the lowest.
How do you spell baritone?
Syllables: bar - i - tone
Tricky part: The vowel after the r is said very lightly, so pupils write baratone or barotone. It is an i.
Watch out for: baratone, barotone, baretone
Memory tip: Imagine a singer named Ravi holding one long note: Ravi ends in the i that this word needs.
Baritone in a sentence
Example 1: Our music teacher has a warm baritone that fills the whole auditorium.
Example 2: The baritone stepped forward and sang the slow opening verse alone.
Example 3: My uncle sang baritone in his college choir and still hums the old songs.
Fun Fact
The name goes back to a Greek word meaning heavy-toned, through Italian baritono. Bands also use the name for instruments, such as the baritone saxophone.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
b_rit_ne
a) a, o
b) o, o
c) e, o
d) a, u
Show answer
a) a, o. Think of a barn for the opening letter and the everyday word tone for the last part.
Word Cookie
One letter in this word is not needed. Find it:
barritone
a) n
b) b
c) r
d) t
Show answer
c) r. There is only one r in the word.
Mingle-Mangle
Rearrange the jumbled letters in the sentence to form the right word:
A rich ortineab rose from the back row of the school choir.
a) bassoon
b) bandstand
c) baritone
d) barometer
Show answer
c) baritone. Barometer, bandstand and bassoon each need a letter the jumble lacks.
Spell-o-Spell
Three of these words are misspelt. Choose the meaning of the one spelt correctly.
1. chorous 2. harmoney 3. sopranno 4. baritone
a) a man's voice sitting between two others in pitch
b) the highest singing voice
c) pleasant notes sounded together
d) a group of people singing together
Show answer
a) a man's voice sitting between two others in pitch. Each of the others has a slip: the right forms are soprano, chorus and harmony.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A choir teacher moves Rohit to the baritone section. What has she noticed?
a) His voice is too soft to reach the hall
b) His voice has settled at a fairly low pitch
c) His voice cannot yet hold any steady note
d) His voice is high and clear like a flute
Show answer
b) His voice has settled at a fairly low pitch
2. Which male voice sits just below a baritone?
a) treble
b) tenor
c) bass
d) soprano
Show answer
c) bass
