Home › Glossary › Letter S

Sound word

Sound
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A word chosen primarily for its auditory quality rather than meaning

Detailed Definition
A sound word is a term—often onomatopoeic—that phonetically imitates or suggests its referent (e.g., "buzz," "hiss," "clang"); in poetry, such words enhance sensory immediacy, create rhythm, and bridge linguistic signification with embodied auditory experience, enriching the poem’s sonic texture.
Example
Example in poetry:
Sound word: Onomatopoeic words like ‘buzz’, ‘hiss’, or ‘clang’ mimicking sounds; Used to evoke vivid sensory imagery; Common in children’s poetry and nature descriptions.
Additional Notes
A Sound word is an instance of onomatopoeia—a word that phonetically imitates, resembles, or suggests the source of the sound it describes (e.g., buzz, hiss, clatter).
Also Known As
Phonetic word sound-symbol word auditory lexeme Ideophone Onomatopoeia Onomatopée
Skip to main content