Meaning & use
binaural
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparabletechnicalmedical
Using or relating to both ears, as when sounds reach each ear separately in hearing.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: binaural hearing.
Patterns
- binaural hearing
- binaural cues
Binaural hearing helps us tell where a sound is coming from.
The doctor tested her binaural abilities in a soundproof room.
Binaural cues let the brain judge distance and direction.
adjectivenot comparabletechnicalmusic
Describing a recording made with two microphones placed like ears and meant for headphones, so the sound seems to come from all around you.
Grammar: Often used for audio: a binaural recording.
Patterns
- a binaural recording
- binaural audio
The binaural recording of the rainforest made me feel I was standing in the jungle.
Headphones are best for binaural audio.
The podcast used binaural sound to place voices around the listener.
Common combinations
- binaural recording
- The binaural recording sounded eerily lifelike.
- binaural beats
- Some people play binaural beats to help them focus.
- binaural hearing
- Binaural hearing helps locate sounds.
- binaural audio
- The game supports binaural audio for headphones.
- binaural stethoscope
- The nurse used a binaural stethoscope with two earpieces.
Synonyms and how they differ
- stereo
- Stereo uses two channels for speakers or headphones, but it does not try to copy the way ears actually receive sound as binaural does.
- spatial audio
- Spatial audio is a broader marketing term for sound placed around the listener, possibly through speakers, while binaural names the specific two-microphone, headphone-based method.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: binaural or binary? binaural or bilateral?
binaural vs binary
Binary means made of two parts or based on two values, such as 0 and 1; binaural is only about two ears.
binaural vs bilateral
Bilateral means involving two sides and is used broadly, for example for two countries; binaural is about hearing with both ears.
Practice
Why do audio producers often recommend headphones for binaural recordings?
Choose one answer.
Binaural recordings mimic what each ear hears, and headphones keep the two signals separate. Speakers let the sounds mix in the air, so the effect is lost.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “binaural”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.