aud
ɔːd
Why a tax audit has 'hearing' inside it
The picture An ear standing open, and sound travelling into it until it lands. aud is what the ear takes in; vis is what the eye takes in.
Where the picture shows up in aud
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The sound that reaches the ear
Can you turn up the audio a little?
kæn juː tɜːrn ʌp ðə ˈɔːdioʊ ə ˈlɪtl
Could you turn the sound up a bit?
Sound pushing out of a speaker and into the opening of an ear.
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Many ears sitting together
The audience started clapping at the end.
ðiː ˈɔːdiəns ˈstɑːrtɪd ˈklæpɪŋ æt ðiː ɛnd
The crowd clapped at the end.
Rows of seats where every ear is turned open toward one stage.
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A room where you are listened to
She has an audition on Friday afternoon.
ʃiː hæz ən ɔːˈdɪʃən ɒn ˈfraɪdeɪ ˌæftərˈnuːn
She has a tryout on Friday afternoon.
One person singing while the ears across the table take in nothing but that sound.
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Hearing the books out line by line
The tax office will audit our shop.
ðə tæks ˈɔːfɪs wɪl ˈɔːdɪt ˈaʊər ʃɑːp
The tax office is going to check our shop.
Accounts read out one line at a time while someone listens for the note that is off.
Accounts used to be read aloud to be checked — the hearing stayed inside the word audit.
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Never reaching the ear
His voice was inaudible on the phone.
hɪz vɔɪs wəz ɪnˈɔːdəbl ɒn ðə foʊn
I couldn't hear his voice on the phone.
A mouth moving while the sound dies just short of the ear.
in- means not: sound that cannot get to the ear is inaudible.
All of it in one picture
aud is one open ear. The sound arriving at it is audio; many of those ears sitting together make an audience; a room where one voice is listened to and judged is an audition. Going through the books line by line the way you listen for a wrong note is an audit, and a voice that never reaches the ear is inaudible. So when you see aud, picture the ear first.