📚 Poetic Devices

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like what they mean

💡
What is Onomatopoeia?

A word that imitates the natural sound of a thing. When you read it, you can almost hear the sound!

buzz 🐝 crash 💥 sizzle 🍳 whoosh 💨 drip 💧
🚂

Train Station Mornings

Doors ding-dong open, commuters shuffle-shuff,
Coffee cups clink as people hurry off.
Shoes tap-tap on tiles, a suitcase thump,
Tickets rip and flutter, then another bump.

A bike bell tring cuts through the crowd,
Buses whoosh past, roaring big and loud.
Overhead, the speaker crackles, says my track,
I breathe in fast, then click-clack down the black.

✏️ The highlighted words are examples of onomatopoeia — can you find them all?

1
List all the onomatopoeic words you can find in the poem. There are at least 12 — look for words that sound like what they describe!
2
Order the sounds on the line from quietest to loudest.
ding-dong clink thump whoosh roaring
🤫 Quietest
1
2
3
4
5
Loudest 📢
3
Choose two onomatopoeic words from the poem. Explain how they help the reader visualise the station.
Word How does it help you picture the scene?
4
Rewrite the sentence by replacing the onomatopoeic words to make the mood of the poem more peaceful.
Original → Buses whoosh past, roaring big and loud.
✏️ Your peaceful version →

Bonus Challenge — Write Your Own!

Write 2–3 lines of your own poem about a place you know well (your kitchen, a playground, the beach). Use at least 3 onomatopoeic words!