8 Best Words For The Sound Of A Gunshot (Onomatopoeia)

People love to imitate gun noises. Whether you’re using the voice to do it or you want to get it right in your writing, this article is for you. We’ll help you understand the best ways to describe gunshot sounds.

Which Words Can Describe The Sound Of A Gunshot?

There are some great ways to describe the sounds of a gun. Try one of the following to see which you prefer:

• Rat-tat-tat
• Pew pew
• Pap pap
• Brrrrrt
• Boom boom
• Bang bang
• Kablam
• Dut dut

The preferred version is “rat-tat-tat.” It’s a great choice for onomatopoeia because it covers a large number of gunshot sounds. Many guns sound different, and not all of the words work for every gun, but “rat-tat-tat” does a good job of bridging the gaps.

Rat-Tat-Tat

“Rat-tat-tat” is a great repeated form of onomatopoeia. The first “rat” sound is the cracking of the round once it is fired from the nozzle. The “tat” sounds are the repeatedly fired bullets that tend to come out after the first round.

• Rat-tat-tat! The guns went wild. We were in the firing zone, and we had to get out.
• Rat-tat-tat! What was that sound? I’m sure it came from over there, but I don’t want to find out.
• Rat-tat-tat! Oh, wow! That went right over my head! I need to move away from here before I’m put in more danger.

Pew Pew

“Pew pew” is the generic sound we use for laser guns. Many sci-fi movie pistols and rifles will imitate the “pew pew” sound. It’s also common for children to imitate this sound when they’re playing with fake guns.

“Pew pew” is perhaps the most common way to describe a gunshot. However, we didn’t include it as the best version because it works best for sci-fi guns rather than realistic ones.

• Pew pew! The guns were blaring out. We were right in the middle of the fire.
• Pew! Pew! I’m going to get you for that! Come back here and face my laser gun like a grown-up!
• Pew! Pew! I’m sure he’s around here somewhere. I can’t tell where he’s firing the gun from, though.

Pap Pap

“Pap pap” works when we’re using smaller guns. Revolvers and pistols might be more likely to make a “pap” sound. It’s common for these guns because they don’t require as much power, and they’re often fired from up close rather than from large distances.

• Pap pap went the guns. I couldn’t stick around much longer, so I had to look for a place to hide.
• Pap pap! They kept firing into the night. I was certain that someone was going to stop them soon.
• Pap pap! That’s what you get for challenging me! Now you’ve brought a knife to a gunfight!

Brrrrrt

“Brrrrrt” is a typical instance of onomatopoeia. It’s a collection of letters that we can use to show a specific sound. This time, “Brrrrt” works to show that someone is using a Gatling gun or machine gun (any gun that fires a lot of rounds very quickly).

We can also increase the number of “R’s” we use in the middle of the word. The more “R’s,” the longer someone is firing for.

• Brrrrrrrt! The Gatling gun roared into action. Now nobody was going to stop the onslaught.
• Brrrrrt! You’re no challenge for my Gatling gun! You’ll have to find a place to hide before I spot you!
• The machine gun is on! You can hear it going “Brrrrrrrrt” across the horizon. Be ready for anything.

Boom Boom

“Boom boom” can work if you want to recreate a lower sound in a gunshot. Larger, more powerful guns typically “boom” when you fire them. You might expect to hear a sniper rifle or something large like it go “boom” when someone fires it.

• Boom boom! The pistol shots were clearer than my own thoughts.
• Boom boom! I’m sure that was a gunshot. We should keep moving because we don’t know who we’ll find out here.
• Boom boom! Oh, no! It sounds like they’re getting closer! We’ve got to get away from those shots.

Bang Bang

“Bang bang” is one of the most common ways to use onomatopoeia for guns. People know that “bang” relates to someone firing a gun, which is what makes it such a good choice.

Incidentally, joke pistols often fire out little white flags with the word “Bang!” written on them. This shows how common “bang” is as an onomatopoeic choice for shooting a gun.

• Bang bang! He shot me down! That awful sound! Bang bang!
• Bang bang! I’m going to get you! You’ll have to keep hiding, but I’ll find you sooner or later.
• Bang bang! You’ve been shot, daddy! Now it’s your time to try and get me!

Kablam

“Kablam” is a powerful onomatopoeia word to refer to the sound of a gunshot. We can use the powerful “K” sound to start the word, which recreates the powerful cracking that you tend to hear when a gun is fired.

• Kablam! The guns were alive again. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but I knew what I needed to do.
• Kablam! With the order, the men started firing once more. None of them agreed, but they knew they had to obey.
• Kablam! Kablam! The sound of the dueling pistols was enough to set anyone on edge.

Dut Dut

“Dut dut” is an interesting way for us to play around with onomatopoeia. We can use it to refer to dull gunshots. This is often the sound you associate with a gunshot that’s been muffled due to distance or because it’s behind a building.

It’s a good way for you to describe the sound of a gun that you haven’t seen yet. It shows us that there is a bit of a distance between you and the danger.

• Dut dut! I’ll get you yet! I just need to reload this quickly.
• Dut dut! Please, don’t shoot anymore! I surrender, and I want to tell you what I know.
• Dut dut! Did you hear that? It sounded like it came from the southern border.