Openai/681840d9-2618-800d-87e3-3be79047c505

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gpt-4o

User: Like an onomatopoeia but not a word, as in tsk vs drip

Like an onomatopoeia but not a word, as in tsk vs drip

Assistant: What you're describing is a non-lexical vocalization—a sound humans make that conveys meaning but isn't a standard word.

What you're describing is a non-lexical vocalization—a sound humans make that conveys meaning but isn't a standard word. "Tsk" is one; "drip" is an actual word.

If you're comparing:

• "Tsk" = non-lexical, imitative, not a real word
• "Drip" = lexical, a real word, even if it mimics sound

You're likely after paralinguistic sounds or non-verbal vocal sounds—stuff like "ugh," "mmm," "psst," etc. They often function like onomatopoeia but aren't formal words. You could also call them ideophones, depending on the language context.

Want a list of these?

User: Define ideophone

Define ideophone

Assistant: An ideophone is a word that evokes an idea in sound—often mimicking a sensory experience like sound, movement, texture,…

An ideophone is a word that evokes an idea in sound—often mimicking a sensory experience like sound, movement, texture, or emotion. It's vivid and expressive, meant to imitate or suggest the sensation it describes.

Examples in English: buzz, thud, zigzag. In other languages (like Japanese), ideophones are everywhere—doki-doki (heartbeat), kirakira (sparkling), etc.

Unlike plain onomatopoeia, ideophones can describe more than just sounds—they hit all the senses.

User: Not an ideophone.

Not an ideophone. Is there a word for a written non-verbal?

Assistant: Yes—"non-lexical vocable" is the precise term for a spoken sound that has communicative meaning but isn’t a real word e…

Yes—"non-lexical vocable" is the precise term for a spoken sound that has communicative meaning but isn’t a real word (e.g., "tsk", "uh", "hm"). But for written representations of these sounds—especially in dialogue or narrative—the most accurate term is:

"verbal gesture" or "paralinguistic marker" (in writing).

Still, there’s no single universal term for a written, non-verbal sound like "tsk" that isn't a word or ideophone. Some close candidates used in linguistic or literary circles include:

• Paralanguage (broad term for non-verbal vocal expression)
• Orthographic representation of non-lexical sounds (in linguistic analysis)

Writers often just call them sound notations or non-verbal interjections.

Bottom line: there’s no widely adopted, one-word label. Closest shorthand might be "non-lexical sound" or "non-verbal vocalization (written)" depending on context.

User: Weird.

Weird. Seems like the kind of thing there'd be a word for. That said, in 43 years of life and thousands of books read, it's the first time needing such a word.

Assistant: Exactly.

Exactly. It's one of those gaps that feels like it should be filled—but never quite was. Writers just fake it with context and formatting: "tsk," "snrk," "ugh," or even "..."—and readers get it.

It's a niche between linguistics and literature that never got a clean label because it rides the line between speech and sound effect. If you coined a good word for it, it’d probably catch on with writers fast.

Want help inventing one?

User: Nah.

Nah. English is already needlessly complex. We'll leave that can of worms alone.

Assistant: Fair.

Fair. English is already a half-dead Germanic corpse dragged through a Latin graveyard—no need to stitch on more limbs.

User: Love that

Love that

Assistant: Glad you do.

Glad you do. It’s the most honest description of the language we all suffer through.