Which term describes sound words?

Which term describes sound words?

• A. Mood
• B. Imagery
• C. Oxymoron
• D. Onomatopoeia

Answer: (D)

Sound words that imitate real noises are onomatopoeia. These words make the reader hear the sound as if it’s happening in the scene—buzz, bang, splash, clang. That playful use of sound helps create a vivid moment. Mood, on the other hand, is the feeling the text gives you about the situation; imagery is the sensory detail that paints a mental picture; an oxymoron is a figure of speech that pairs opposite ideas like “deafening silence.” Onomatopoeia specifically encodes sound into the word itself, which is why it’s the right term for describing sound words.

Sound words that imitate real noises are onomatopoeia. These words make the reader hear the sound as if it’s happening in the scene—buzz, bang, splash, clang. That playful use of sound helps create a vivid moment. Mood, on the other hand, is the feeling the text gives you about the situation; imagery is the sensory detail that paints a mental picture; an oxymoron is a figure of speech that pairs opposite ideas like “deafening silence.” Onomatopoeia specifically encodes sound into the word itself, which is why it’s the right term for describing sound words.