In the German language there are several words for “sound” (in the sense of vibrations that can be heard) : “Klang” (m.), “Ton” (m.), “Geräusch” (n.), “Schall” (m.), “Laut” (m.) and, indeed, “Sound” (m.). What’s the difference?

– “Klang” is a pure sound that is appealing to the sense of hearing and fades with time:
“Ihm gefällt der Klang dieser Gitarre.” – “The sound of this guitar appeals to him.”
“Ich liebe den Klang ihrer Stimme.” – “I love the sound of her voice.”

– “Ton” is a sound that, as opposed to “Klang” has no overtones (meaning, it has no additional harmonic sounds that give the overall sound warmth, for example):
“Ich mochte den Ton in ihrer Stimme nicht.” – “I didn’t like the sound in her voice.”
“Bitte sprechen Sie Ihre Nachricht nach dem Ton.” – essentially “Please leave a message after the beep.”

– “Geräusch” is a sound perceived acoustically that is produced as a byproduct of something that is moving – in other words, just like “noise” it is not made on purpose in most cases:
“Du machst immer so laute Geräusche wenn du isst!” – “You always make such loud sounds when you eat!”

– “Schall” is either a reverberating sound, or simply the word for “sound” used in Physics:
“Das Flugzeug fliegt schneller als der Schall.” – “The plane flies faster than (the speed of) sound.”

– “Laut” is like “Geräusch” but produced on purpose (usually using one’s mouth) and of short duration:
“Er gab einen kleinen Laut von sich.” – “He gave off a little sound.”

– “Sound” is a very popular word nowadays, but it refers specifically to the characteristic sound of a musician, band or musical style:
“Diese Gruppe hat einen echt coolen Sound.” – “This band has a really cool sound.”