Onomatopoeia

What is onomatopoeia? For me, pronouncing it is the biggest challenge, but onomatopoeia is any word that imitates a sound.

Buzz is a perfect example. It’s a word that defines a sound and closely imitates that sound too.

Hiccup is another onomatopoeic word. Do you ever hiccup?

Onomatopoeia may also refer to words whose sound suggests the qualities or characteristics of something: Fluffy is an adjective describing something that is soft, light, and airy. Fluffy sounds light and airy, doesn't it? I love my fluffy pillow or a fluffy omelette. I like to look outside at the fluffy clouds. Can you think of any other fluffy things?

I’ll describe other onomatopoeic words in future posts because, even though they seem kind of funny, they’re still an important part of the English language.