Earcon

A brief, distinctive sound used in a user interface to convey information, status, or feedback non-visually. Earcons serve a similar function to visual icons but through the auditory channel. In accessible interfaces, earcons can augment or replace visual cues — for example, a sound indicating a new message has arrived, a navigation boundary has been reached, or an action has completed. Designing effective earcons for accessible applications requires consideration of how they interact with screen reader speech output and any existing audio content, as competing audio streams can create confusion for users relying on auditory information.