Water Onomatopoeia Examples

Words related to water or other liquids often begin with sp- or dr-. Words that indicate a small
amount of liquid often end in -le ( such as in sprinkle or drizzle). Water onomatopoeia examples
include:

 bloop
 dribble
 drip
 drizzle
 splash
 spray
 sprinkle
 squirt

A poem by Australian poet Lee Emmett illustrates many onomatopoeia words related to water:

"water plops into pond
splish-splash downhill
warbling magpies in tree
trilling, melodic thrill
whoosh, passing breeze
flags flutter and flap
frog croaks, bird whistles
babbling bubbles from tap"

Vocal Onomatopoeia Examples

Onomatopoeia words are great ways to describe how a person sounds when they talk. Sounds
that come from the back of the throat tend to start with a gr- sound, while sounds that come out
of the mouth, through the lips, tongue and teeth, often begin with mu-. Examples of vocal
onomatopoeia sounds include:

 ahem
 belch
 blurt
 chatter
 giggle
 growl
 groan
 grunt
 gulp
 gurgle
 eek
 moan
 mumble
  murmur
 squeal
 whimper

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Collision Onomatopoeia Examples

Collisions can occur between two or more objects. Sounds that begin with cl-  usually indicate
collisions between metal or glass objects, and words that end in -ng are sounds that resonate.
Words that begin with th- usually describe dull sounds such as soft but heavy things hitting wood
or earth. Examples of these sound words include:

 bam
 bang
 clang
 clank
 clap
 clatter
 click
 clink
 crash
 crunch
 ding
 jingle
 knock
 screech
 slap
 smash
 thud
 thump

Air Onomatopoeia Examples

These words describe the sounds of air blowing through things or of things rushing through the
air. Words related to air often start with wh-, include a "w", or end with -sh. Examples of air
onomatopoeia sounds are:

 flutter
 fisst
 fwoosh
 gasp
 swish
 swoosh
 waft
  whiff
 whoosh
 whizz
 whip

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Animal Onomatopoeia Examples

Words related to animal noises often have long vowel sounds, such as "oo" or "ay." If you’ve
spent time in other countries, you may know that animals speak different languages too.
Depending on where a chicken is from, for example, she might cluck-cluck, bok-bok, tok-
tok, kot-kot, or cotcotcodet. English onomatopoeia words for animals noises are:

 arf
 bark
 bray
 buzz
 cheep
 chirp
 chortle
 cluck
 cock-a-doodle-doo
 cuckoo
 hiss
 honk
 howl
 purr
 ribbit
 tweet
 warble

 English Onomatopoeia: Human Sounds

via GIPHY
 First we have words for sounds that people like you and I make. From sleeping
sounds to sneezing, laughing, and eating, let’s check them all out here.
achoo sneeze

ahem sound of clearing throat

argh expression of annoyance or frustration

babble to utter meaningless sounds

barf the sound of puking

bawl loud cry

brrr sound of shivering

burp expel gas from the stomach through the mouth

cackle a loud, unpleasant laugh

chomp sound of bite or chew

clap the sound you make when you strike both palms together

growl low rumbling sound

gulp sound of swallowing

harumph expression of disdain or protest

haha sound of laughter

hee-hee high-pitched laughter

gargle the act of bubbling liquid in the mouth

grrr sound of anger

hum sing with closed lips

hush sound of being quiet or still

munch chew noisily

slam to close violently

screech sharp piercing cry

shush the sound of silencing someone

shh sound of silencing

smack the sound when you hit something or someone

tsk a sound of disapproval

zzz sleeping

 English Onomatopoeia: Sounds Made

by Objects
via GIPHY

 Sounds that objects make also make up a huge list of onomatopoeia. This could
be sounds from collisions, explosions, liquids, electricity, or vehicles among
others. Let’s check them out now.
ba dum tss Imitating a drum roll and cymbal crash played to underscore a joke

bang the sound of an explosion or a gunshot

boom the sound of an explosion

beep a high-pitched signal

beep-beep car horn sound

clink sound of glass on glass

ding-dong ringing bell

flutter sound of rapid motion

fizz the sound of gas escaping from a drink or any liquid

honk sound of car horn

ring-ring sound of a phone ringing

smash sound of a collision

splash sound of object falling on water

Tick tick tick sound of a timer

tick tock sound of a clock

thud a dull, heavy sound like a big object falling

vroom sound of an engine revving

zap sound of electric discharge

 English Onomatopoeia: Animal Sounds

via GIPHY

 Finally, we’re down to the animal sounds. From the meowing cat to the hiss of
a snake, let’s review what animal sounds are called in English.
baa goat / sheep
buzz insects like bees, mosquitoes, or flies

chirp bird

chirp crickets

cluck chicken

cock-a-doodle-doo rooster

gobble turkey

hiss snake

hoot owl

meow cat

moo cow

neigh horse's sound

oink pig

quack duck

ribbit frog

roar lion

woof / bow-wow a sound of a dog's bark