What is an onomatopoeia?

What is an Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeias (pronounced: on-o-motta-peeya) is a sound device that creates imagery for the reader. Imagery is the use of techniques that appeal to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.

Onomatopoeias appeal to the sense of sound, making the sounds in the text come alive for the reader.

So, the Onomatopoeia may have a funny name, but it does a cool job!

What is the Definition of an Onomatopoeia?

Onomatopoeias are words that sound like the action they are describing. For example, the word “woosh” describes an action, like something that is moving.

Imagine a fast car passes by and you hear and feel the wind as it moves. It makes a “woosh” sound.

What are some examples of Onomatopoeias?

1. Bam

   

2. Bang

3. Boom

4. Chatter

5. Chuckle

6. Crackle

7. Crash

8. Hum

9. Giggle

10. Shush

11. Snap

12. Snap

13. Splish

14. Splash

15. Crack

16. Pop

17. Pow

18. Sizzle

19. Whoosh

20. Zap

Onomatopoeia Practice Activity:

Directions: Read the following poem, take note of the onomatopoeia's you see.

Onomatopoeia's a part of a cool family of sound devices that make prose (sentences and paragraphs) and poetry (lines and stanzas) pop! (See what we did there? 💥)

Some other sound devices community include:

• Assonance

• Consonance

• Alliteration

• Repetition

• Rhyme

Practice onomatopoeia along with other types of sound devices, check into TAP Literacy's Decoding Poetry Series featuring Sound Devices.