How To Write Sounds In Writing

106 Ways To Describe Sounds

Writers know that using the senses is a great way to make stories come alive. Use this comprehensive list of words that describe sounds when you write.

According to Oxford Dictionary, to hear is to 'perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something)'.Sounds are 'vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's ear'.

You have to use the five senses when you write. Readers want to experience what your characters see, smell, hear, taste, and touch. Using the senses is one of the best ways for writers to learn how to show and not tell.

Writers Write is a resource for writers and we have written about words that describe taste, smell, andtouch in previous posts. (We even have one for words that describe colours.) In this post I have included words that describe sounds.

106 Ways To Describe Sounds

General Words Describing Sounds

audible – a sound that is loud enough to hear
broken – a sound that has spaces in it
emit – to make a sound
grinding – a sound of one hard thing moving against another
hushed – a sound that is quiet
inaudible – a sound that is difficult to hear
monotonous – a sound that is always the same and never gets louder or quieter, or higher or lower
muffled – a sound that is not easy to hear because it is blocked by something
plaintive – a sound that has a sad quality
rhythmic – a sound that has a clear, regular pattern
staccato – a sound where each word or sound is clearly separate

Describing Pleasing Sounds

dulcet – soft and pleasant
lilting – a sound that has a rising and falling pattern
listenable – easy to listen to
mellow – a soft, smooth, pleasant sound
melodic – beautiful sound
musical – sounds like music
pure – a clear, beautiful sound
rich – a sound that is strong in a pleasant way
soft – quiet and peaceful
sonorous – a sound that is deep and strong in a pleasant way
sweet – a pleasant sound

Describing Noisy Sounds

at full blast – as loudly as possible
almighty – used for emphasising how loud something is
brassy – a sound that is loud and unpleasant
deafening – a sound so loud you cannot hear anything else
ear-splitting – extremely loud
explosive – a sound that is loud and unexpected
howling – a continuous, low, loud noise
insistent – a continuous, loud, strong noise
loud – a sound that is strong and very easy to hear
noisy – a sound that is full of noise
percussive – a sound that is short, like someone hitting a drum
piercing – a sound that is very loud, high, and unpleasant
pulsating – strong, regular pattern
raucous – rude, violent, noisy
resounding – a sound that is loud and that continues for a while
riotous – lively and noisy
roaring – a deep, loud noise
rowdy – noisy and causing trouble
sharp – a sound that is sudden and loud
shrill – a sound that is loud, high, and unpleasant
thundering – extremely loud
thunderous – loud
tumultuous – a sound that includes noise, excitement, activity, or violence
uproarious – extremely noisy

Words That Help You Show And Not Tell

Many of these words that help you show and not tell are examples of onomatopoeia. These words imitate natural sounds. 'It creates a sound effect that mimics the thing described, making the description more expressive and interesting.'

Here are some examples:

The bees buzzed outside my window.
The wind sighed.
The leaves crackled and crunched under his feet.

Use this list to make your writing come alive.

babble – a gentle, pleasant sound of water as it moves along in a river
bang – to move, making loud noises
beep – a short high sound or several short high sounds
blare – to make a loud and unpleasant noise
blast – to make a loud sound with a car horn
bleep – a short high sound or several short high sounds
boom – to make a deep loud sound that continues for some time
caterwaul – an unpleasant loud high noise
chime – a high ringing sound like a bell or set of bells
chink – a high ringing sound when knocked together, or to make something do this
clack -to make a short loud sound like one hard object hitting against another
clang – a loud, metallic sound
clank – a short, loud sound
clash – a loud, metallic sound
clatter – a series of short, sharp noises
click – a short sound like the sound when you press a switch
clink – to make the short high sound of glass or metal objects hitting each other, or to cause objects to make this sound
cluck – to make a short, low sound with your tongue
crash – a sudden loud noise, as if something is being hit
creak – if something creaks, especially something wooden, it makes a high noise when it moves or when you put weight on it
drone – to make a low continuous noise
fizz – a soft sound that small gas bubbles make when they burst
groan – a long, low, sound
growl – a low, unpleasant noise
grunt – to make a short low sound in your throat and nose at the same time
gurgle – the low sound water makes when it is poured quickly from a bottle
honk – to make a loud noise using a horn, especially the horn of a car
hoot – to make a short loud sound as a warning
mewl – crying with a soft, high sound
moan – a long, low sound
neigh – to make a high loud sound like a horse's neigh
peal – if a bell peals, or if someone peals it, it makes a loud sound
peep – if a car's horn peeps, it makes a sound
ping – to make a short high sound like the sound of a small bell
pipe – to make a very high sound, or to speak in a very high voice
pop – a sudden noise like a small explosion
putter – a short, quiet, low sound at a slow speed
ring – to make a bell produce a sound
roar – to make a continuous, very loud noise
rumble – a continuous deep sound
scream – to make a very loud high noise
scream – to make a very loud high noise
screech – to make a loud, high, and unpleasant noise
scrunch – to make a loud noise like something being crushed
sigh – a long, soft, low sound
squeak – to make a short, high noise
squeal – to make a long high sound
squee – to make a loud high noise because you are excited or happy
thrum- to make a low regular noise like one object gently hitting another many times
thud – a dull sound when falling or hitting something
thump – to hit against something with a low loud sound
tinkle – to make a high, ringing sound
wail – to make a long, high sound
wheeze – a high sound, as though a lot of air is being pushed through it
whine – a high, loud sound
whirr – a fast, repeated, quiet sound
whisper – to make a quiet, gentle sound
whistle – to make a high sound by forcing air through your mouth in order to get someone's attention
yelp – a short, loud, high sound, usually caused by excitement, anger, or pain
yowl – a long, loud, unhappy sound or complaint

Use these words to describe sounds and make your writing come alive.

Top Tip : Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop .

by Amanda Patterson

If you enjoyed this post, read:

75 Words That Describe Smells
20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours
209 Words To Describe Touch
Three Simple Ways To Show And Not Tell
12 Crucial Things To Remember About Setting
Cheat Sheets for Writing Body Language
20 Fun Ways To Find An Idea For A Plot

Sources:
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/miscellaneous-words-used-to-describe-sounds
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-unpleasant-to-listen-to
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-low-and-or-deep
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-quiet-and-or-soft
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/describing-sounds-that-are-high-and-short
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-loud-sound
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-high-sound
https://www.macmillandictionary.com/thesaurus-category/british/to-make-a-quiet-or-low-sound