Feb 1, 2010 – Large ferry sailing in Puget Sound, near Seattle, Washington – Todd Pearson / Getty Images

Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean— Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and Deception Pass being the minor. Flow through Deception Pass accounts for about 2% of the total tidal exchange between Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Puget Sound extends approximately 100 miles (160 km) from Deception Pass in the north to Olympia, Washington in the south. Its average depth is 205 feet (62 m) and its maximum depth, off Point Jefferson between Indianola and Kingston, is 930 feet (280 m).

The term “Puget Sound” is used not just for the body of water but also the general region centered on the sound, including the Seattle metropolitan area, home to about 4.2 million people.