1. Glug

This is "the sound of liquid pouring from a bottle." It's the sound you'd hear when someone is drinking a lot at once, or when someone is pouring a liquid into a cup.

2. Thump

This is "to hit or beat something and make a loud, deep sound." You could also hear something thump against the ground.

3. Clang

This is "to make the loud, ringing sound of metal hitting against something." It's what you'd hear when you hit a plate.

4. Screech

This is "a loud, harsh, piercing cry." It's a noise that you'd typically hear an owl make.

5. Cackle

This is "to make loud, unpleasant sounds." You've probably heard a witch's laugh described as a cackle, because it's meant to sound terrifying.

6. Guffaw

This is "a loud or boisterous burst of laughter." Most writers use the word to describe a slob's laughter.

7. Croak

This is "to make the deep, harsh sound that a frog makes." Of course, humans can make a similar sound as well.

8. Gurgle

This is "to flow in a broken irregular current with a bubbling sound." You've probably heard a baby's voice described as gurgling.

9. Rattle

This is "to make or emit a quick succession of short percussive sounds." How do you think that a rattle snack got its name?

10. Jingle

This is "to make a light ringing sound." You've probably heard the change or keys in your pocket jingle before.

11. Patter

This is "a quick succession of light soft tapping sounds." Imagine what it would sound like to hear Santa's reindeer stepping on your roof.

12. Whiz

This is "to move quickly through the air with a whistling or whooshing sound." You might have heard of a bullet or a frisbee whizzing through the air.

13. Sizzle

This is "to make a hissing sound like the sound water makes when it hits hot metal." It's what you usually hear when you're cooking on the stove.

14. Chatter

This is "a series of quick high-pitched sounds." You might describe a bird's chirping by using this word.

15. Chitter

This is "a twittering or chattering sound." It's similar to the previous word, which is why it's commonly used to describe the way a bird sounds.

16. Swish

This is "to move with a hissing or whistling sound." You might say that your jacket swished as you moved.

17. Knell

This is "the sound of a bell." That's a pretty clearcut definition, don't you think?

There are hundreds of words in the English language. As long as you pick up a dictionary or a thesaurus, you won't struggle to find a way to explain what needs to be said. There's always a way to phrase it! What's your favorite word that can be used to describe a sound?