Imitative / Echoic / Onomatopoeic

See also: https://rentry.co/wordle-meta-list

Collaboration begun in September 2023 by @Documentalista and @Dez, picked up some more from @Couchpumpkin in Sept '24.

List of imitative OR echoic interjections, with an appendix of other onomatopoeic words.

They should all be accepted by the game. Yes even the three-voweled ones. Some are rare in OED.

ALL

  1. AARGH
  2. ACHOO
  3. AGOGO
  4. AIYAH
  5. ALALA
  6. BINGO
  7. BLECH
  8. BLEEP
  9. BLINK
  10. BLOOP
  11. BOING
  12. BOINK
  13. CHANG
  14. CHEET
  15. CHICK
  16. CHING
  17. CHOCK
  18. CHUCK
  19. CLANG
  20. CLANK
  21. CLICK
  22. CLING
  23. CLINK
  24. CLOOP
  25. CLUCK
  26. CLUNK
  27. COOEE
  28. CRICK
  29. CROAK
  30. FAUGH
  31. FLUMP
  32. FNARR
  33. FRITZ
  34. GLOOP
  35. GNARL
  36. GNARR
  37. GNARS
  38. GROAN
  39. GROWL
  40. GRUMP
  41. GRUNT
  42. HAUGH
  43. HEUGH
  44. HUMPH
  45. HUZZA
  46. MAHEM
  47. NEIGH
  48. NUMMY
  49. OOMPH
  50. PEEOY
  51. PFFTT
  52. PHOOH
  53. PHOOO
  54. PHPHT
  55. PIPIT
  56. PLASH
  57. PLISH
  58. PLUCK
  59. PLUFF
  60. PLUNG
  61. PLUNK
  62. POUFF
  63. PSHAW
  64. PTISH
  65. PYUFF
  66. QUACK
  67. QUAKE
  68. QUANK
  69. QUAWK
  70. QUECK
  71. SCAPE
  72. SHUSH
  73. SLOSH
  74. SNARL
  75. SNARR
  76. SNORT
  77. SQUAB
  78. SQUEE
  79. SQUIB
  80. SUMPH
  81. SWASH
  82. SWISH
  83. THUMP
  84. THUNK
  85. TWANG
  86. TWEET
  87. UMPTY
  88. VROOM
  89. WAHEY
  90. WAHOO
  91. WALLA
  92. WHANG
  93. WHACK
  94. WHIRR
  95. WHIZZ
  96. WHOMP
  97. WHOOF
  98. WHOOP
  99. WHUMP
  100. WOOSH
  101. YAHOO
  102. YECCH
  103. YECHY
  104. YEEEK
  105. YEUCH
  106. YIKES
  107. YOICK
  108. YOWSA
  109. YOWZA

December 2024 Theme

  1. AARGH @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43ip39
  2. BINGO
  3. BLECH @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43jelp
    @This Old Man https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/442h53
  4. BOING @Kenny https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/441keo
  5. CLINK @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43k05l
  6. CLOOP
  7. COOEE
  8. CRICK
  9. FAUGH@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43l03p
  10. FLUMP@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43q001
  11. FNARR
  12. GROWL
  13. GRUMP
  14. GRUNT @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43lkpn
  15. HEUGH @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43mgad
  16. HUMPH@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43ss4m
  17. MAHEM @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43n3n0
  18. NEIGH
  19. OOMPH @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43o3s8
  20. PEEOY@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43p35a
  21. PHPHT
  22. PLASH@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43rt0i
  23. PLISH @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/442c6a
  24. PLUNG
  25. PSHAW@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43qqe1
  26. PTISH@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43t9m2
  27. PYUFF @Shawm https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/440hen
  28. QUANK
  29. QUAWK @BerniceDog https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43qpoh
  30. QUECK
  31. SCAPE
  32. SNARL @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43u5er
  33. SNORT@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/4437nv
  34. SQUEE @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43sdji
  35. SQUIB
  36. SUMPH@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43vuu2
  37. THUNK
  38. TWEET
  39. UMPTY
  40. WAHEY
  41. WHIRR @Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/441t2l
  42. WHOOF
  43. WHUMP@Documentalista https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/440v4g
  44. YEUCH
  45. YIKES
  46. YOICK
  47. YOWSA
  48. YOWZA @Anarkey https://www.nytimes.com/shared/comment/43vm4r

Original 1st List: Imitative / Echoic / @Doc's?

ACHOO
AGOGO
AIYAH
ALALA (Dez)
AARGH (Headword ARGH)
BOING
BOINK
BINGO
CHEET
CHICK
CHOCK
CHUCK
CLICK
COOEE
FAUGH
FNARR (Dez)
GLOOP
HUMPH - PU (headword UMPH)
HUZZA (Dez)
NUMMY
OOMPH
PFFTT (headword PHUT)
PHOOH (headword PHOO)
PHOOO (headword PHOO)
PHPHT
PLASH
PLISH
PLUFF
PLUNG
PLUNK
POUFF (headword two o one f)
PSHAW
PTISH
QUACK
QUAKE
QUANK *obsolete
QUAWK
QUECK *rare
SCAPE
SNARL
SQUAB
SQUEE
SWASH
TWEET
WAHEY
WAHOO
WALLA
WHANG
WHOOF
WHOOP - PU
YEEEK (headword YEEK)
YEUCH
YOICK
YOWSA (headword YOWZER)
YOWZA (headword YOWZER)

Original 2nd List: Onomatopoeic / @Dez's?

BLECH
BLEEP
BLINK
BLOOP
CHANG
CHING
CLANG
CLING
CLANK
CLINK
CLOOP
CLUNK
CRICK
FRITZ (imitative origin disputed)
GROWL
GRUMP
MAHEM (multiple origin) the SA crested crane)
PEEOY (Scot. Small homemade fireworks)
PIPIT (one of the SB birds)
SQUIB (obscure - fireworks)
SUMPH
THUMP
THUNK
UMPTY
WHIRR
WHOMP
WHUMP
YAHOO (probably echoic, rather than imitative in OED, but interjection)
YECHY (marked rare in OED)

Edit

Pub: 16 Sep 2023 00:38 UTC

Edit: 05 Apr 2025 19:00 UTC

Views: 698