Singsong describes a way of speaking or reading that goes up and down in a rhythmic, repetitive pattern, like a simple melody. When someone speaks in a singsong voice, their pitch rises and falls in a predictable way that can sound musical but also sometimes monotonous or artificial.

You might hear singsong speech when someone is teasing playfully: “I know something you don't know!” Young children often use a singsong tone when reciting nursery rhymes or saying “na-na-na-boo-boo.” Teachers sometimes fall into a singsong pattern when reading the same story for the tenth time, their voice bouncing up and down automatically instead of sounding fully engaged.

The word can describe actual singing too, especially simple, repetitive songs. A singsong melody might be catchy but predictable, without much variation or surprise.

While singsong speech can sound cheerful and playful in short bursts, listening to someone talk this way for a long time often becomes tiresome. The constant up-and-down pattern can make even interesting information sound boring because the rhythm becomes more noticeable than the actual words. That's why good readers and speakers vary their tone naturally, matching their voice to the meaning rather than following a repetitive pattern.