7 Good Words For The Sound Of Thunder (Onomatopoeia)

The sound of thunder is immense, and we need to find a good descriptive word to achieve that same intensity. Luckily, this article will help you understand some of the best thunder onomatopoeia and what descriptive sounds you can use.

Which Words Can Describe The Sound Of Thunder?

There aren’t all that many words that do justice to the sound of thunder. However, there are a few good choices we can share with you that might just do the trick:

• Crack
• Thunder
• Pang
• Rumble
• Clap
• Boom
• Fumfum

The preferred version is “crack” because it’s what we can use to get as close to the sound of thunder as possible. “Crack” is a common way to describe the sound that you hear echoing through the sky when thunder strikes, and it’s helpful in any case.

Crack

We’ll start with the preferred version, and we’ll explain what makes it so suitable in most cases.

“Crack” works when you’re talking about the short and sharp noises that come from thunder. The biggest part of “crack” comes from the sudden impact of the noise, and thunder is almost deafening because of this same sudden burst of energy and noise.

The definition of “crack,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “to make a sudden, short noise, or to cause something to make this noise.”

A “crack” mostly works when you’re in the middle of a storm. The sound is often short and sudden, and you won’t often have time to react to it in time to escape (if lightning were to strike near you, for example).

You might see “crack” work as follows:

• Crack! That’s all I heard before I saw another lightning bolt strike through the sky.
• Crack! Crack! That was the sound of the thunder following me as I tried to evade the storm.
• Crack! That’s the last thing we all remember before the building collapsed in the storm.

Thunder

Next, we can also use “thunder” itself as an onomatopoeic word. Let’s see how this one works comparatively to “crack.”

“Thunder” in itself is onomatopoeic. We can use it to describe the thundering sound above us in the middle of a storm. It’s a powerful word, but it’s not quite the most useful one (as some people prefer more appropriate words like “crack”).

The definition of “crack,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “the sudden loud noise that comes from the sky, especially during a storm.”

You could use “thunder” as follows:

• Thunder! That’s the last thing I heard.
• Thunder! It was so loud that it basically shook our entire house out of the ground.
• Thunder! I could have sworn this time it was directly over our house!

Pang

“Pang” isn’t an official word, but we can use it as a solid sound that thunder can make during a storm.

You could use “pang” whenever the thunder is loud and creating sudden noises. It works well, even though it’s not an official word, because it highlights the intensity of the storm while you’re in the middle of it.

Here’s how “pang” works:

• Pang! The sound of the thunderous clouds was almost too much to bear.
• Pang! We couldn’t seem to get away from it!
• Pang! That was the thunder, and it’s getting closer and closer!

Rumble

A “rumble” is something you’ll mostly hear when you’re further away from the storm. It’s another great onomatopoeic word we can use in most cases.

“Rumble” works best when you’re further away from the action of the storm. That’s because thunder is more likely to “rumble” for prolonged periods when you’re further away. The closer you are, the less “rumbling” the sound will be, and the more like a “crack” it is.

The definition of “crack,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “to make a continuous low sound.”

A “rumble” may appear as follows:

• Rumble! I counted about ten seconds between the lightning strike and the thunder.
• Rumble! Rumble! That’s all anyone could hear in the storm.
• Rumble! It seemed to be getting ever louder and ever closer.

Clap

A “clap” doesn’t just have to relate to the sound your hands can make when you hit them together. It works well when talking about thunder too.

A “clap” is another short and sharp noise like “crack.” We can use it to describe the sound of thunder. It’s also possible to call it a “thunderclap” when you hear the sudden burst of noise come from the clouds in the middle of a storm.

The definition of “crack,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a sudden loud noise made by thunder.”

Here’s how “clap” works in most cases:

• Clap! That was the thunder, directly above our heads.
• Clap! Where is the thunder now? We can’t work it out from the lightning strikes.
• Clap! Thunder is always terrifying at this time of night.

Boom

“Boom” is a momentous sound. It works well when talking about thunder and how strong it can be when it echoes throughout the night.

“Boom” works in some cases when you’re trying to talk about thunder. However, it’s not as specific as some of the other cases, so it helps if you can actually mention “thunder” in some way when using it. Still, “boom” is a loud and powerful noise.

The definition of “crack,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “a deep and loud hollow sound.”

Here’s how “boom” might work:

• Boom! The thunder was growing louder now.
• Boom! I didn’t want to hear another one!
• Boom! My poor dog didn’t know what to do about it!

Fumfum

Finally, let’s look at “fumfum.” While this isn’t an official word, we can use it (along with other choices) to try and recreate more specific thundering noises.

Like many onomatopoeic words, we can create them into sounds that we think work. While “fumfum” might not be the most common choice, it works in cases where you believe the sound from the thunder is similar to “fumfum.”

Here’s how “fumfum” works:

• Fumfum! That one was much closer than the others.
• Fumfum! I had to get to cover before it was too late.
• Fumfum! There wasn’t much more we could do about it now.