I love learning English words. I use a thesaurus and all sorts of dictionaries to figure out the exact definition of a word but for some of them there's no way to discover the definition. To be exact, I'm talking about onomatopoeia, words that mimic sounds. How do I search for a sound I just heard so I can learn what it's called in English?
I know that cats meow, dogs bark and cows moo but anything past that becomes exceedingly difficult to discover. When was the last time you heard someone tell you that sheep bleat and donkeys bray? What about a specific sound a machinery makes? I found myself wanting for a complete list of all the English onomatopoeia sounds, so here's my attempt to make one.
Beep — short, high-pitched sound of an electronic device (like that of an alarm).
Bellow — long, loud shout.
Blare — long, irritating, forceful noise (like that of a radio with volume turned to maximum).
Bleat — default sound of a sheep (soft, short, whining cry).
Boom — long, deep, resonating sound (like that of an explosion).
Bray — default sound of a donkey (long, loud, harsh cry).
Bubble — short, soft sound of bubbles forming.
Buzz — long, low, vibrating sound (like that of a bee).
Caw —
Chortle — short, happy sound of laughter through one's nose.
Chime — the sound of a bell or any other piece of metal vibrating after being struck.
Chirp — default sound of a bird (short, high-pitched sounds in succession).
Chitter — quick, short sounds of two pieces of the same material against one another, like that of teeth when the person is cold.
Chuckle —
Clamor — long, loud noise of protest (like that of multiple people angrily talking over each other).
Clang — resonant, metallic sound (like that of two big pieces of metal hitting each other).
Clatter —
Clank — the sound of two pieces of metal colliding and resonating after the colision.
Click — short sound of a piece (such as machinery) being set into position where it fits in with other pieces.
Clink —
Cluck — default sound of a hen.
Crack — short, sharp sound of an item being broken.
Crackle — short, sharp, snapping sounds (like that of paper being crushed).
Creak — long, sharp sound of material bending (like that of old wooden floorboards being walked on).
Croak — default sound of a frog (short, low, hoarse sound).
Crow — long, sharp, rising sound (like that of a rooster in the morning).
Coo — long, soft, loving murmur of a dove or pigeon (like that of baby learning to speak).
Drone —
Gargle — squeezing air out of the lungs while there is liquid in the throat.
Gasp — the sound of sudden drawing of breath.
Gobble — the default sound of a turkey.
Gurgle — the sound of liquid mixed with air passing through a narrow opening.
Groan —
Growl — guttural sound of warning by animals.
Grunt —
Hiss —
Howl —
Hubbub — loud, long, confusing noise.
Hum —
Jangle —
Jeer — rude, taunting shouts.
Jingle —
Meow — default sound of a cat.
Moan —
Moo — default sound of a cow.
Murmur — long, soft, steady sound of wordless speech (like that of a crowd talking in whispers but no words can be distinguished).
Neigh — default sound of a horse (long, high-pitched sound).
Nicker — short, soft neigh.
Patter — soft, quick sounds, like that of rain or droplets falling down.
Ping — short, sharp, high-pitched sound of a smaller thing hitting a larger one (like bullet on metal).
Pop — short, sharp, explosive sound (like that of bubbles bursting).
Purr — long, soft, vibrating sound of a happy cat.
Rattle — short, sharp sounds of two things quickly hitting each other (like a pebble in a glass bottle that's shaken).
Roar — default sound of a lion (long, deep sound of a wild animal, especially a large cat).
Rumble — long, deep, echoing sound heard in the distance.
Rustle —
Shriek —
Shrill — long, sharp, high-pitched, piercing sound (like that of a phone ring).
Sizzle — the hissing sound of an oily liquid being fried.
Slop — the sound of messily splashing a liquid, as if hitting a puddle of mud with a stick.
Slosh — the sound of splashing liquid.
Slush — the sound of walking through mud or partially melted snow.
Smack —
Snap — short, sharp sound of something breaking (like when a twig breaks).
Snort — short, rough, sharp sound of breathing in through the nose.
Snarl — aggressive growl.
Snicker — short sound of a partly stifled laugh.
Snore — the sound of a vibrating palate.
Splat —
Squawk — short, loud, harsh scream (like that of a parrot).
Squeak —
Squeal — short cry of pain or distress (like that of a pig in pain).
Thud — short sound of impact, as if a sack of sand fell to the ground.
Thump —
Thunk —
Tinkle —
Trill —
Tweet —
Wamble — the rumbling of the stomach.
Warble — long, soft sound that rises and falls, making it seem like it's pulsing.
Whimper — a short sound of crying.
Whine — a continuous, irritating sound, like that of friction between two pieces of metal or continuous complaining.
Whinny — a gentle neigh.
Whirr — a continuous sound made by rotating machinery.
Wheeze — long, hoarse, whistling sound (like that of a person that can't breathe).
Whistle — sharp, high-pitched sound made by air being forced through a small opening.
Yelp — short, sharp cry of surprise.
Yowl — long, loud cry of pain or distress (like cat in heat).