How to Prevent Your Voice from Cracking

Co-authored by Patrick Muñoz

Vocal cracking occurs when a voice is under strain, either from the rapid growth of the larynx as a result of puberty, or from pushing the voice into higher or lower registers. Learning to soothe a tired voice using home remedies and how to use your voice properly will help you avoid awkward cracking.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Home Remedies

1
Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated will allow you to speak more comfortably, sing more fluidly, and will promote all-around throat health that will strengthen your voice and keep it feeling comfortable. Drink up to eight cups of room temperature water every day.^{[1]
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- If you are a screamer, singer, or strain your voice regularly, take it easy on the icy cold water. Drink lukewarm water instead. Imagine getting doused with ice water after a workout. You involuntarily tense up, no matter how awesome it feels.
2
Drink warm, soothing beverages. If you suffer from regular voice cracks, it's common to soothe your throat with warm water-based beverages. While milk and other cloying liquids can coat the throat, making it more difficult to speak clearly, teas, coffee, and other hot beverages are all recommended.
- One of the most common home remedies is some hot herbal tea, mixed with about a teaspoon of lemon juice and honey. Chamomile, spearmint, lemongrass, and licorice root teas are all soothing to the throat.
- Don't drink scalding hot tea, which can burn your throat and make it more difficult to speak comfortably. Drink it warm.
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3
Avoid coating beverages and foods.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} Some foods will tighten your throat and make cracking more likely, while others will coat the mouth and throat. To reduce the risk of your voice cracking, avoid foods such as:
- Spicy foods like chili peppers, curries, and salsas.^{[3]
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- Oily foods like buttery biscuits, cookies, or other desserts.
- Fried foods like French fries, fried fish or chicken.
4
Try using soothing lozenges. Vocal Zone are a kind of herbal vocal lozenge used by professional singers to keep their voice from cracking before a performance. They work to soothe, numb and clear the throat without giving the effect of drowsiness. These can be much more effective than usual 'common cold' lozenges.^{[4]
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- The taste of the lozenge can be somewhat off-putting and medicinal, but the results are substantial for a small amount of unpleasantness.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Talking and Singing Techniques

1
Understand why your voice is cracking. A voice crack is most commonly associated with a boy entering puberty, which can occur any time between the ages of 10 and 16. Some boys will pass through puberty and never notice vocal cracking, while others will experience it for long periods of time. Depending on your age and your circumstances, your voice may be cracking for a variety of reasons, some of which are manageable and some of which need to be waited out.^{[5]
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- When boys go through puberty, the testosterone production is increased drastically to promote rapid growth in the body, the larynx (or "voice box") included. When the larynx gets bigger, the voice becomes deeper and more resonant, but it can take a while for the body to get used to the rapid changes. Eventually, your voice will settle into its new, and usually deeper, range.
- For girls, vocal cracks most commonly occur when the voice is strained during singing or from other periods of intense usage. Risky behaviors like smoking and abusing alcohol can also put a strain on the voice, resulting in the occasional crack. Strengthening the vocal chords via singing exercises and eliminating risky behaviors is the best way to avoid vocal cracking.
2
Breathe from the belly.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Expert Interview. 12 November 2019.} When you lie on your back, you'll breathe somewhat differently than you will when you're standing upright, taking deeper breaths from the core, which can help to strengthen your projection and your voice. "Belly-breathing" is a technique often taught to public speakers and singers alike, and you can learn to do it too.
- Practice lying on the ground with one or two books on the belly and watching them go up and down while one is breathing. Now, try standing up in front of a mirror and watching your belly grow big and small during talking or singing. That means you're breathing properly, reducing the pressure on the vocal cords and the larynx.
3
Speak slowly and deliberately. Pubescent boys and singers both tend to crack when speaking emotionally or in a rush. To speak clearly and decrease the possibility of your voice cracking, slow down, take deep breaths, and try to speak deliberately. Don't rush.
- Don't hesitate when you speak and try to keep your tone as even as possible. Commit to the thought and the words that you're going to say and move forward. Think of it like moving through mud: just keep going.
- Make sure you don't spread your vowels when you sing. Words like "light" are diphthongs, which means they have two vowel sounds in one of the letters (lah-eet). To ensure minimal voice cracking, exaggerate the initial vowel sound rather than the second. Throw the second vowel sound on at the end of the word quickly, making sure you hold the word for its full note value.
4
Speak and sing in your normal voice. Don't try to speak in a lower or higher voice if you feel your voice changing. While, during puberty, this can be harder and harder to find. Speaking in your range is the best way to avoid vocal cracks.
- For singers, it's common to want to stretch your range. Do this in rehearsals and practice, not when you're trying to perform. If you're not confident you can hit a note, practice expanding your range, don't try to stick the note for the first time in front of the rest of the choir.
- Try not to get frustrated if your voice cracks occasionally. It's a normal part of growing up for lots of people, a sign only that your body is changing and that you're turning into a grown up.
5
Relax. Your voice naturally gets higher when you are tense. If you are speaking before a crowd, try to relax and take deep breaths. Try not to be nervous, this will cause air to move irregularly through your larynx, causing the pitch to fluctuate. Calm down.
- If you have to give a big public performance or speech, give your voice a big rest before the event. Try not to talk loudly or raise your voice.
6
Warm your voice up before you speak. If you tend to crack a lot during performances make sure that in your warm ups you do lip drills before you go up the scale of your vocal range.^{[7]
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- Try lip drills, slowly going up and down the scale as high is possible while buzzing your lips. Doing this drill every day will expand your vocal range and make your voice stronger and bolder in places where you might usually crack.

Expert Q&A

Question

What causes you to lose your voice?

Patrick Muñoz
Voice & Speech Coach
Patrick is an internationally recognized Voice & Speech Coach, focusing on public speaking, vocal power, accent and dialects, accent reduction, voiceover, acting and speech therapy. He has worked with clients such as Penelope Cruz, Eva Longoria, and Roselyn Sanchez. He was voted LA's Favorite Voice and Dialect Coach by BACKSTAGE, is the voice and speech coach for Disney and Turner Classic Movies, and is a member of Voice and Speech Trainers Association.

Patrick Muñoz

Voice & Speech Coach

Expert Answer

Talking for a long amount of time without breathing and talking right from your throat is hard on your voice. Screaming from your throat or drinking heavily and talking over music can also make you lose your voice fast.