Onomatopoeia is a word that imitates the sound or suggests the source of the sound that it describes. It is commonly used in comic strips as action sounds and in nursery rhymes.
Buzz – for a bee
Hiss – for a snake
Moo – for a cow
Woof – for a dog
Pow – for a punch
Whoosh – for a rocket taking off
Tick-tock – for a clock
Old MacDonald had a farm,
Ee i ee i oh!
And on that farm he had some chickens,
Ee i ee i oh!
With a cluck-cluck here,
And a cluck-cluck there Here a cluck, there a cluck,
Everywhere a cluck-cluck
Old MacDonald had a farm
Ee i ee i oh!
Onomatopoeia is used to help the reader hear and be involved in the writer's written word, by describing the action with a sound.
Why don’t you try writing a poem using Onomatopoeia and enter it into one of our poetry competitions.
More poetry terms below.
Have you visited the rest of our website yet? There are lot more free resources such as poetry workshops, activities and games for young writers as well as lesson plans and themed packs for teachers - come have a look!