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Life & fun · March 30, 2020

Use-sound, a React hook for sound effects on the web

By and large, using the web is a visual experience. This is in terrible contrast to mobile apps, which interact with three of our human senses (sight, sound, and touch, through haptic feedback). I just released a library to make it easy to add sound to your React app, and I make the case that you sh

Use-sound, a React hook for sound effects on the web launched on March 30, 2020 with 131 votes, #229 of 4,417 launches that month and more than 95% of that year's launches. The site was still online in September 2026, 6 years on.

Visit joshwcomeau.com ↗Alternativestop 5% of March 2020

In plain words

Use-sound is a React hook that enables developers to easily add sound effects to web applications. Designed for React developers building interactive web projects, it simplifies the process of triggering and managing audio playback within components. The tool provides a straightforward API for integrating sound effects into user interfaces, making it useful for games, interactive applications, and any web project requiring audio feedback.

written from the facts on this page · September 2026

From the sources

By and large, using the web is a visual experience. This is in terrible contrast to mobile apps, which interact with three of our human senses (sight, sound, and touch, through haptic feedback). I just released a library to make it easy to add sound to your React app, and I make the case that you should consider using it!

Maybe it's because I was an audio engineer, but I wish the web was louder. I know a bunch of folks will disagree, and for good reason! Sound on the web has historically been used in annoying/awful ways: However, I believe that this is the bathwater around a baby very much worth saving. Sounds can accentuate user actions, emphasize feedback, and add a bit of delight to an otherwise humdrum action. When done tastefully, sound can make a product feel more tangible and real. This isn't a new idea: video games and mobile apps use sound all the time. In fact, the web is the odd one out; most forms of digital media I can think of uses sound. * Not to mention touch! Mobile apps use haptic feedback…from joshwcomeau.com

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