Written Sound
Onomatopoeia Dictionary
Words that sound like the thing they mean: Imitative words. From the Greek "onoma" (name) and "poiein" (to make)
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bob-white

any of a genus (Colinus) of quail; especially : a popular game bird (C. virginianus) of eastern and central North America having mottled chiefly reddish-brown plumage

animal bird

bratatat

sound of machine gun. (Bratatat! is a Roy Lichtenstein painting)

weapon

bum! brrum! brrrumble!!!!

Sound of a big bass drum. From the children's book Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012 Candlewick Press

music

burp

the act of belching

human human eat_drink

cha-ching

sound of a cash register. also: ka-ching

money metal coins

chickadee

any of several small North American oscine birds (genus Poecile of the family Paridae) that are related to the titmice. about this bird

animal bird

chiffchaff

name of bird species, named by its song. about this bird

animal bird

chiming

the sound of wedding bells (features in the poem "The Bells" by Edgar Allan Poe)

metal music

ching-a-ling

sound of a bell

chink

to make a sharp ringing sound

metal

chirp

bird vocalization (nonspecific)

animal bird

chirr

the short vibrant or trilled sound, characteristic of an insect (as a grasshopper or cicada)

animal

chirrup

1. to utter a series of chirps, or to make clucking or clicking sounds with the lips, as in urging on a horse, 2. bird vocalization

animal bird

chit-chat

light, informal conversation

human

chitter

to twitter or chatter (high-pitched sounds), like a bird, or raccoon

animal bird

choo-choo

small children's word for train (steam engine)

engine

Chrrrick chrrrick chrrrick chrrrrick

Putting butter on toast with a knife. From the children's book Squeak, Rumble, Whomp Whomp Womp. Wynton Marsalis & Paul Rogers, 2012 Candlewick Press

metal eat_drink

CHUGGA chugga chugga CHUGGA chugga chugga CHOO CHOOOOOOO

steam engine or train. from this book:
Trans go, by Steve Light
Click here for more train sounds

machine movement

cltkty

sound of a coin put into a vending machine (from the graphic novel "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth", ref)

metal

crackle

1. To make a succession of slight sharp snapping noises: a fire crackling in the wood stove. 2. To show liveliness, energy, or intensity: a book that crackles with humor. 3. To become covered with a network of fine cracks; craze. v.tr. 1. To crush (paper, for example) with sharp snapping sounds. 2. To cause (china, for example) to become covered with a network of fine cracks.
in the media: Snap, Crackle, and Pop are the cartoon mascots of Kellogg's breakfast cereal Rice Krispies. They are named after the sound rice krispies make when they are dropped in a bowl of milk

cricket

name of chirping insect, grasshopper

animal crack

curlew

any of various largely brownish chiefly migratory birds (especially genus Numenius) having long legs and a long slender down-curved bill and related to the sandpipers and snipes. name is imitative of the sound it makes. about this bird

animal bird

dickcissel

name of bird species (Spiza americana). small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae. voice: From an open perch in a field, this bird's song is a sharp "dick dick" followed by a buzzed "cissel", also transcribed as "skee-dlees chis chis chis" or "dick dick ciss ciss ciss". about this bird

animal bird

eastern phoebe

(Sayornis phoebe) small passerine bird. This tyrant flycatcher breeds in eastern North America, although its normal range does not include the southeastern coastal USA. It is migratory, wintering in the southernmost USA and Central America. Voice: Song is two rough, whistled notes, "fee-bee" with the second note rasping or with a stuttered, more whistly second note "fee-b-be-bee." Call note a clear chip. about this bird

animal bird

hummingbird

Hummingbirds are birds that comprise the family Trochilidae. They are among the smallest of birds. They can hover in mid-air and fly backwards, Their English name derives from the characteristic hum made by their rapid wing beats. more

animal bird

ka-ching

sound of cash register, also: cha-ching

metal

moan

1. long low inarticulate murmur, 2. (less common) word describing the sound of doves (as in "The moan of doves in immemorial elms" in the poem "Come Down, O Maid" by Alfred Lord Tennyson), 3. (less common) the sound of wind (in the poem "the night wind", by Eugene Field: "... For the wind will moan in its ruefullest tone:

human human pain disease weather

na na, na NA na

interjection. melodic childish taunting phrase, expressing a feeling of superiority or contempt for another. Meaning is similar to sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. see also: neener, neener; nyah, nyah / nya, nya

laughter

neener, neener

interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: nyah, nyah; na na, na NA na. WikiAnswers

laughter

nyah, nyah

interjection, typically used to taunt, ridicule, or boast in a childish manner. Verbal way of sticking your tongue out or laughing at someone. Often pronounced in a nasal voice. See also: neener, neener; na na, na NA na; nya, nya

peck peck peck

sound of a woodpecker rapping with its beak on a tree Lucy Cousins children's book

animal bird

pip

1. to peep or chirp, as a chick does. 2. A short, high-pitched radio signal 3. pip-pip-pip: sound of footsteps ("Misoso: Once Upon a Time Tales from Africa", by Verna Aardema)

animal bird movement

poop

children's euphemism meaning excrement. This word is thought to be of imitative origin

human animal

raspberry

short for raspberry tart, rhyming slang for fart: a sound of contempt made by protruding the tongue between the lips and expelling air forcibly to produce a vibration; broadly : an expression of disapproval or contempt. Also "rasp", "razz" or "Bronx cheer". As in "blowing a raspberry", "making a Bronx cheer". Ref: thesneeze , wikipedia.

human gas crack

ratatatat

sharp rapping sound repeated, often a machine gun. also : rat-a-tat; bratat

weapon explosion

RRUUMBLE SCRUNCH SCRUUMBLE SCRUUUNCHH

Sounds made by a bulldozer. From:
Diggers go, by Steve Light

construction equipment machine heavy engine

rump - rump

sound of a washing machine , "[Aredelia] found Starling in the warm laundry room, dozing against the slow rump-rump of a washing machine." (Thomas Harris, Silence of the Lambs, 1988)

machine engine movement

scrunch

to make a crunching sound, to crush or crunch, or to crumple or squeeze

crack misc

t'chi

sound of an arrow being shot from a bow ("Sebgugugu the Glutton: A Bantu Tale from Rwanda", by Verna Aardema)

weapon

takka takka

sound of a machine gun (title of a Roy Lichtenstein painting)

weapon

thwoorp

Sound produced by quickly opening a folding fan. Urban Dictionary. Made famous by drag queen Katya Zamolodchikova

tinkle

a gentle, ringing sound. Also means "to urinate" (in sort of a childish way) possibly because of the sound.

metal liquid wet water pee

twitter

to utter a succession of light chirping or tremulous sounds, chirrup

animal bird

whockah

sound of palm-muted rhythmic strumming on an electric guitar with wah pedal, as in the intro of Jimi Hendrix’s "Voodoo chile", for example. often combined with playing "airguitar". see also: neow, jug, bwow-chcka-bwow

music

yoooo

the sound of wind (in the poem "the night wind", by Eugene Field: "... For the wind will moan in its ruefullest tone: 'Yoooooooo!', 'Yoooooooo!', 'Yoooooooo!' ...")

weather gas


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