What audio file extension is commonly used for uncompressed audio files?

The .wav file extension is commonly associated with uncompressed audio files. WAV stands for Waveform Audio File Format and it is used primarily for storing audio on PCs. Due to the lack of compression, .wav files maintain high audio quality and fidelity, making them ideal for professional audio production, editing, and archiving where sound quality is a top priority.

While .mp3, .aac, and .flac are widely used audio formats, they involve different types of compression. .mp3 and .aac are lossy formats, which means they reduce file size by removing some audio data, potentially affecting sound quality. On the other hand, .flac (Free Lossless Audio Codec) compresses audio without any loss of quality, but it is still considered a compressed format. Therefore, .wav stands out as the typical choice for uncompressed audio files.