Previous theoretical investigation of sound propagation in rarefied gases is clarified and extended with emphasis on the role played by gas–surface interaction effects. The problem is formulated for the case of one‐dimensional motion generated by a piston undergoing small amplitude sinusoidal oscillation where the Knudsen number based on the distance from the piston is large. The resulting dispersive properties such as phase velocity and attenuation rate are in qualitative agreement with experimental data and previous theoretical predictions. However, the dependence of dispersion on the molecule–surface interaction is found to be quantitatively different from that suggested by earlier investigators.