PowerPoint allows us to embed a sound in .wav format and “hide” it using an entrance effect. This allows us to elicit an answer from students and then check it by clicking on an image or shape. We can also use it in activities like “Vocabulary labels“.

If we want to use a sound (a word, a sentence, a longer text) to elicit a response from students, then we can embed it in the animation effect of a coloured shape, which will allow us to reveal the answer on further clicks.

It is important to remember that the embedded sound must be in .wav format. These are the steps to do this: 1) Find and open the sound file  2) Choose File > Export.  3) Choose Other uncompressed files. 4) Click the Options… button. 5) Choose WAV (Microsoft) header. 6) Click OK. 7) Name the file and click Save.

The fact that the sound becomes part of the PowerPoint file is an advantage, because when we upload it to PowerPoint sharing sites  it works perfectly, as no external file needs to be called. Download the file if you want to hear the sound. You can see an example of “Vocabulary labels with sound” here.

Below you can see how to embed a sound file into a text, so that it plays on mouse click.