What is an Onomatopoeia?

It is words that sound like what they represent such as 'bang' and 'zip'.

Hello Dolores!

Onomatopoeia is the use of words that make the sound of the thing they describe.

Try saying the word 'sigh' aloud and feel how similar it feels to an actual sigh.

Or listen to the message notification sounds on your phone. Do some of them actually sound like the word 'ping'?

When you cough, notice how the hard 'c' at the start of the word echoes the sharp sound at the beginning of a real-life cough.

Feel how the soft sounds in 'whisper' reflect the gentle sounds you would use to talk to someone in a quiet voice.

In a text, onomatopoeic words can bring a scene to life, helping readers imagine sounds as if they can actually hear them. In a poem about rain on a roof, for example, words like 'pitter-patter' and 'drip' can make someone feel as if they're experiencing that rain directly.

This is particularly useful for making dramatic points. Compare the following sentences:

"Bang! He closed the door.''

"He closed the door suddenly."

Which one has more impact? The first sentence could make the reader react strongly - or even jump in surprise - as it mirrors the abrupt sound of a door being slammed. 

We come across many, many examples of onomatopoeia in our daily lives. For instance: click, zap, tick-tock, knock, buzz, moo, woof, hiss, pop, boom, hum, giggle, splash, slosh, whoosh and crackle.

Can you think of other examples?

When words sound like the noise being described such as:

Crash

Boom

Splash

Bzzz

Poof

An onomatopoeia is a language feature, often known as a 'sound word.' The word represents or mimics the sound it makes: 'snap, crackle, pop, bang, fizz, crash, thud...'

An Onomatopoeia is a word that is used to convey the sound it is describing, eg bang, thud, clap, crackle, plop etc

Onomatopoeia is the naming of a thing or action by imitation of natural sounds e.g. meow, oink, buzz etc.

An onomatopoeia is something that sounds like the action, for example, splat or buzz.

An onomatopoeia is where a word is formed to give a sound that is associated with the word. For example, Sizzle, Cuckoo

Onomatopoeia is a word from a sound that is associated with is named. In simpler terminology: onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like the noise that it is describing. For example: sizzling, boing, buzz, hiss etc

A word (usually describing a sound or impactful action) that sounds as it reads. For example 'Bang' or 'Beep'.

Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like what it means. For example, buzz, crash, bang, pop.

Onomatopoeia is when a word sounds like what it names or represents. For example, words like "boing", "clap" or "cuckoo" are all onomatopoeic vocabulary. As a literary or artistic choice, onomatopoeia can create a sense of vividness and immediacy, adding a textural dimension to writing through a conscious and playful patterning of sound.

Onomatopoeia is a word in the form of a sound that it is associated with. For example, meow, cuckoo, boom, etc.

Onomatopoeia is when a word phonetically resembles the sound it describes. We have many examples of this in English: one common one is "buzz". Every time you describe a bee as "buzzing", you are using onomatopoeia!

Hello Dolores Haley, onomatopoeia is a literary effect which includes the formation of a word associated from the sound that word creates (e.g. boom, sizzle,buzz).