DollopheadedMerlin

I feel like subconsciously I had assigned them to a pitch rather than an emotion. Women, even when they are shouting just to be heard better, sometimes are just naturally higher pitched. Men with lower voices can become shrill when horribly shocked or in pain. I realized that I really didn't like this distinction, so I decided to define for myself what I wanted a yell and a scream to be.

Now, a "yell" is any sort of exlamation in alarm, anger, or warning. I use it for a short exclamation like "hey!", "what are you doing?", or "look out!". It's loud but not ever anywhere close to shredding someone's vocal cords. This use I feel like is separate from "yelling" which is more like any prolonged conversation where someone is being loud to keep control or express their anger.

A "scream" is mostly done in fear, pain, or excitement. I use scream more sparingly, as it, to me, sounds more intense than a yell. It's wont to hurt your voice, make you go hoarse, get everyone to turn and look at you. A scream rips out of you unexpected or unintentionally. I rarely use it for the "excited" meaning because it would have to be from such a big surprise or buildup that it just bubbles out of you against your will. More often I use it when a character is in pain, or is desperate.

There's also often a distinction between "calling out" and "reacting to". A yell is often directed at someone, whereas a scream is often in reaction to something with no particular recipient.