Onomatopoeia /ˌɑːnəˌmætəˈpiːə/ is a literary device where a word imitates or resembles the sound it describes. Essentially, the word’s pronunciation mimics the natural sound associated with the object or action which it represents. Onomatopoeia commonly describes:

1. Impact sounds (e.g. boom, bang, crash, smash)
2. Animal sounds (e.g. meow, woof, buzz, roar)
3. Human sounds (e.g. giggle, whisper, sigh, murmur)
4. Mechanical sounds (e.g. beep, click, tick-tock, whirr)
5. Nature sounds (e.g. splash, rustle, patter, drip)
6. Movement sounds (e.g. swoosh, whoosh, zoom, flutter)

Onomatopoeia is used in everyday language as well as poetry to create a more immersive or expressive effect. Read on to see how onomatopoeic words are used and practice using them yourself.

It’s interesting to note that onomatopoeia can vary across different languages because each language interprets sounds slightly differently. For example, in English, the onomatopoeia for the sound a frog 🐸 makes is “ribbit,” while in Japanese it’s “geko-geko,” in Turkish it’s “mek-mek,” and in Arabic it’s “maqaqa.”

Do you want to learn more English onomatopoeia for various animal sounds? If you don’t already know, there’s a famous children’s song called “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” that features farm animals and the sounds they make. Check it out—it’s fun and catchy!

The Symphony of a Storm

Read the text below and try to identify onomatopoeic words in it. Then check if you were right with the answer key below.

As the storm approached, the sky began to rumble with a deep, ominous thunder. Raindrops started to patter on the roof, each one creating a gentle drum of sound. The wind howled and whistled through the trees, making the leaves rustle and crinkle. Occasionally, a loud crash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a distant boom. Inside, the old clock on the wall ticked and tocked rhythmically, a steady click amidst the chaos. The power flickered, and the house’s creaks and groans echoed with every gust, each whine and creak adding to the symphony of the storm. Outside, the rain intensified, creating a steady drip from the eaves and a splash in the puddles forming on the ground. The occasional sizzle of wet leaves meeting the ground and the snap of branches breaking added to the cacophony. Meanwhile, a distant rattle of thunder signaled the storm’s advance, and the steady thump of a nearby tree trunk swaying in the wind completed the nocturnal orchestra.

Answer key 🔑

As the storm approached, the sky began to rumble (1) with a deep, ominous thunder (2). Raindrops started to patter (3) on the roof, each one creating a gentle drum (4) of sound. The wind howled (5) and whistled (6) through the trees, making the leaves rustle (7) and crinkle (8). Occasionally, a loud crash (9) of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a distant boom (10). Inside, the old clock on the wall ticked and tocked (11) rhythmically, a steady click (12) amidst the chaos. The power flickered, and the house’s creaks (13) and groans (14) echoed with every gust, each whine (15) and creak adding to the symphony of the storm. Outside, the rain intensified, creating a steady drip (16) from the eaves and a splash (17) in the puddles forming on the ground. The occasional sizzle (18) of wet leaves meeting the ground and the snap (19) of branches breaking added to the cacophony. Meanwhile, a distant rattle (20) of thunder signaled the storm’s advance, and the steady thump (21) of a nearby tree trunk swaying in the wind completed the nocturnal orchestra.

Note that onomatopoeic nouns and verbs often share the same form. For example, “rumble” (noun and verb), “patter” (noun and verb), etc.

Word	Associated with	Additional example
rumble	thunder, engine	The ground began to rumble as the heavy truck approached.
thunder	the sound that occurs during a storm	The thunder echoed through the valley as the storm drew nearer.
patter	rain, footsteps	The raindrops made a rhythmic patter on the window pane.
drum (of sound)	beat, rhythm	The heavy rain created a constant drum on the roof.
howl /haʊl/	wind, animals like wolves	The wind began to howl through the abandoned streets.
whistle	kettle, wind, train	The kettle started to whistle as the water boiled.
rustle /ˈrʌsl/	leaves, trees, paper, fabric moving or being disturbed	Her silk dress rustled as she moved.
crinkle	packaging like plastic wrap, leaves	She heard the crinkle of a candy wrapper in her pocket.
crash	something breaking or colliding	The vase fell off the shelf with a loud crash.
boom	explosions, thunder	The fireworks went off with a loud boom.
tick-tock	a large clock ticking	The tick-tock of the old grandfather clock filled the room with a steady rhythm.
click	something snapping into place	She heard a click as she locked the door.
whine	small motor, complaint	The old fridge emitted a low whine all night.
groan	pain, discomfort	He began to groan in pain after twisting his ankle.
creak	floorboard, stair, bed, gate	The floorboards creaked under his weight.
drip	a liquid falling drop by drop	The leaky faucet made a constant drip that was hard to ignore.
splash	water, rain, tears falling onto a surface	The kids made a big splash when they jumped into the pool.
sizzle	something frying or cooking in hot oil	The bacon began to sizzle as it hit the hot skillet.
snap	something breaking suddenly	The branch made a loud snap as it broke under the weight of the snow.
rattle	something shaking or vibrating	Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled.
thump	something hitting or falling with force	There was a thump from the attic, but no one was up there

Practice

Click the link here and choose the word describing each picture best.

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