What causes hoarse voice?

The vocal cords sit in the voice box and need to meet and vibrate smoothly. A viral infection such as the [Common Cold](/conditions/common-cold/) can cause swelling, while [Laryngitis](/conditions/laryngitis/) inflames the voice box. Shouting, singing, prolonged speaking, coughing, smoke, dry air, and allergies can irritate the cords. [Acid Reflux](/conditions/acid-reflux/) may reach the throat and cause morning hoarseness or throat clearing. Persistent hoarseness is less often linked with a growth or nerve problem, including conditions affecting the throat, thyroid, or lungs; a hoarse voice alone does not identify the cause.

Rest your voice without whispering, drink fluids, avoid smoking and second-hand smoke, and use humidified air if the room is dry. Try not to shout over background noise or repeatedly clear your throat. Manage reflux triggers if they are relevant to you. Arrange an assessment if the change continues, recurs, or affects work or swallowing. You can review [Hoarse Voice](/symptoms/hoarse-voice/) and [Chronic Cough](/conditions/chronic-cough/) for related symptoms.

Get urgent help for sudden breathing difficulty, noisy breathing, inability to swallow saliva, coughing blood, or swelling of the face or throat. Make a prompt appointment for hoarseness that persists, keeps returning, comes with a neck lump, unexplained weight loss, persistent ear pain, or difficulty swallowing. A clinician may examine the throat and voice box and decide whether an ear, nose, and throat referral is needed. Persistent symptoms can rarely relate to [Throat Cancer](/conditions/throat-cancer/), [Thyroid Cancer](/conditions/thyroid-cancer/), or [Lung Cancer](/conditions/lung-cancer/), so duration and accompanying signs matter.

Tell your doctor when the voice changed, whether you smoke or use your voice heavily, and whether reflux, cough, pain, swallowing trouble, or a neck lump is present. Ask whether you need a voice-box examination.