Audio

What is a .wave file?

A .wave file is a Waveform Audio (PCMWAVEFORMAT). This is an audio format. Confusingly, this extension has been used by 3 different formats over the years — they're all listed below.

This extension has been used by more than one format

3 different formats have claimed .wave over the years, so two files with the same extension aren't necessarily the same kind of thing.

How to open a .wave file

VLC plays almost every audio format ever made.
Audacity opens it for editing.

The registry records this extension against Waveform Audio (PCMWAVEFORMAT), Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEX), Waveform Audio (WAVEFORMATEXTENSIBLE), so software from that family is the most likely match.

How to convert a .wave file

Export as .mp3 from Audacity or VLC for maximum compatibility.

MIME type

When a .wave file travels over the web, servers label it with this MIME type:

audio/x-wav

What's a MIME type?

The technical record

For archivists, developers and the merely curious: these are the PRONOM registry entries for .wave.