What is onomatopoeia? (2024)

What is onomatopoeia? (1)

Onomatopoeia is a word that names a sound, but also sounds like that sound. Find out how teachers explain onomatopoeia to school children and how to encourage your child to use it to improve their writing.

What is onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeia is a word that names a sound, but also sounds like that sound. For example:

boom, honk, pop, crack, cuckoo, crack, splat, tweet, zoom, sizzle, whizz, buzz, hiss, rip

What is onomatopoeia? (2)

What is onomatopoeia? (3)

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How is onomatopeia taught in the classroom?

Teachers will sometimes ask children to look for onomatopoeia in poetry and discuss how effective it is. They may encourage children to use words similar to those above in their stories and poems.

A teacher may show the children a poem like the following:
What is onomatopoeia? (4)

They may encourage them to find all the examples of onomatopoeia in the poem. They may also talk about the rhyme scheme of the poem (the fact that each pair of lines rhyme).

What is onomatopoeia? (5)

Children may then be asked to think about their own poem. They may be asked to list (and maybe draw) all the things in their house that make a noise and the noises they make. They may then be asked to choose the ones they like and write it into a list poem like the one above. Depending on the age and ability of the children involved, they may be asked to think about writing a rhyming poem, or changing the form of the poem.

Children may also be encouraged to look for onomatopoeia in stories they read. They may also be encouraged to use this in their own stories.

What is onomatopoeia? (6)

What is onomatopoeia? (7)

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What is onomatopoeia? (2024)

FAQs

What is a onomatopoeia short answer? ›

Onomatopoeia definition: a word that sounds like the noise it describes. Some onomatopoeia examples include the words boing, gargle, clap, zap, and pitter-patter.

What are 3 onomatopoeia sentences? ›

Examples of Onomatopoeia: Buzz-The bee buzzed in my ear. Boom-The boom of the fireworks scared the baby. Meow-The cat meowed for some milk.

What is 4 onomatopoeia? ›

The Four Types of Onomatopoeia

Real words made to evoke the sound of real things. Made-up words that sound like real things. A series of letters that mimic a “raw” sound.

What is onomatopoeia easy definition for kids? ›

Onomatopoeia is a word that names a sound, but also sounds like that sound. For example: boom, honk, pop, crack, cuckoo, crack, splat, tweet, zoom, sizzle, whizz, buzz, hiss, rip.

What is a good sentence for onomatopoeia? ›

Example (with onomatopoeia): We sat huddled by the crackling fire as the rain splattered, and the thunder rumbled. Example (without onomatopoeia): We sat by the fire as it rained heavily, and the thunder continued. The above example shows how onomatopoeia brings a sentence to life.

What is a onomatopoeia and examples? ›

: the naming of a thing or action by a vocal imitation of the sound associated with it (such as buzz, hiss) also : a word formed by onomatopoeia. In comic books, when you see someone with a gun, you know it's only going off when you read the onomatopoeias.

What is onomatopoeia Year 3? ›

Onomatopoeia is a word which sounds like what it means. 'Thud', 'crash', 'bang' and 'buzz' are all examples.

What is sound in science 7? ›

Sound is a form of kinetic energy that travels as compression waves through a medium. Sound waves carry energy, but require particles of matter to travel through. Sound waves oscillate as longitudinal mechanical waves in the direction the wave is traveling.

Is fart an example of onomatopoeia? ›

The art of fart-spelling is a type of onomatopoeia. (One should phonetically spell a sound as closely as possible to the actual sound, attempting to reproduce that sound with the vocal organs.) Originally Answered: How do you spell the fart noise?

Is Oh an onomatopoeia? ›

'Oh' is not an onomatopoeia. It is an interjection. Interjections are a part of speech that are sudden expressions of emotion or excitement.

Is Tiktok an onomatopoeia? ›

“Tik-tok” is an onomatopoeia that represents the sound of a clock ticking.

Is pop an onomatopoeia? ›

The physical sound of an onomatopoeia imitates, suggests, or resembles the word it describes. For example, if you've ever stuck a pin in a balloon, you've heard the resulting “pop”. That word “pop” is an onomatopoeia because it sounds like what you hear.

Is crack an onomatopoeia? ›

Imitating a more pleasant sound, like a crackling fire or perhaps a certain cereal mixing with milk, “crackle” began as a 15th-century variation of the verb “crack”—another solid onomatopoeia word.

What is an example of a onomatopoeia? ›

Onomatopoeia examples include words like 'boom', 'bang' and 'crash'. You'll probably recognise plenty of onomatopoeia examples from comic books. In general, words are used to tell us what's happening. However, writers also use figurative language to add more context and provide a 'show, don't tell' approach.

What is onomatopoeia and its example? ›

In other words - when said out loud, onomatopoeic words phonetically imitate the sound that they describe. They're often used to add emotion and make writing more fun, expressive and relatable. Onomatopoeia examples include words like 'boom', 'bang' and 'crash'.

What is onomatopoeia in your own words? ›

An onomatopoeia is a word whose sound reflects its meaning. The physical sound of an onomatopoeia imitates, suggests, or resembles the word it describes. For example, if you've ever stuck a pin in a balloon, you've heard the resulting “pop”. That word “pop” is an onomatopoeia because it sounds like what you hear.

What is onomatopoeia in one sentence? ›

Sentence with onomatopoeic words: The motorcycle screeched loudly and crashed against the blue wall. Just by associating a sound with a scene, you can always evoke onomatopoeic words to make a sentence more meaningful and expressive. Onomatopoeia is helpful in so many ways.

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