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R/O
and this woman was no exception
May 8 19:05
6 mos ago
49 viewers *
English term

Sound of blowing up a balloon

Non-PRO Not for points English Other General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters Onomatopoeia / sound imitation
Hello,

I need help of English native speakers, please.

How would you spell the sound of blowing up a balloon, or specifically the sound that one makes when exhaling air into a balloon? For example, when you explain the process to a young child, like: "First, inhale as much air as you can and then exhale it in the balloon, like this - [make the sound]."

Thank you in advance.

PS: I mark this question as "not for points" because I believe there can be several valid answers, and it is not a translation question that requires special expertise.
Responses
3 +1 wh, as in "who"
3 pfft
References
The following reference made me laugh. T...
Change log

May 9, 2024 05:21: Edith Kelly changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

PRO (1): Cilian O'Tuama

Non-PRO (3): AllegroTrans, Maja_K, Edith Kelly

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Discussion

Chris Says Bye May 10:
I don’t think the energetic “whoosh” would work for a breathing exercise, that would be much more gentle
Oleh Lytvynov (asker) May 10:
Why there is a need to spell Some contributors wondered why there was a need to spell that. It is a written instruction for parents on how to do a stress-relieving breathing exercise with their children. They use this balloon example. I think the authors chose to spell it out rather than just say "blow" to illustrate that they should breathe out slowly.

Thank you all for your contributions and time. I have some good ideas now.
Oleh Lytvynov (asker) May 10:
Sorry for no points Thanks to your comments, I can see now that the question is good for awarding points. I apologize for my mistake. I cannot change the question type, unfortunately.
philgoddard May 9:
I don't think askers should be offered the option of not awarding points, assuming there's an acceptable answer. It's basic courtesy.
Chris Says Bye May 9:
Whoosh? But I'm not sure why you would need to put the sound into words as it is unlikely to be unfamiliar to the reader.
Cilian O'Tuama May 9:
It's a perfectly fine question, IMO Not easy to find a solution though. Maybe sth. like "whuuuuh? Maybe with a soft S somewhere.

And IMO it should be a "for points" Q. And it requires spelling expertise.
AllegroTrans May 8:
Not a very sensible question if you don't mind me saying so.
You cannot really describe the sound, more like the action, i.e. blow hard
Helena Chavarria May 8:
If I were talking to a young child, I wouldn't say 'inhale' or 'exhale' as they probably wouldn't understand.

First, breath in as much air as you can and then blow it out into the balloon.

Responses

+1
21 hrs
Selected

wh, as in "who"

There doesn't seem to be a way to spell this sound in English. Not even the h, because that sound is pronounced with an open mouth.

If you purse your lips and blow, the closest would be the wh sound as in "who." There's no voiced sound following, while blowing up a balloon.
Note from asker:
Thank you. After considering your comment and all the discussion entries, I think the ballon analogy is misleading because the sound is different. I should have provided the context initially to avoid confusion. For a slow exhale in a breathing exercise it seems best to use the "wh" sound. I think I'll stick with "whoosh" as suggested by Christopher. This option is also approved by AI :)
Peer comment(s):
neutral AllegroTrans : You're right about one thing - there is no way to spell this sound in English - the question is frankly ridiculous
2 hrs
I think it is fine just to leave it as stated: (make the sound). The reader can figure it out.
neutral Mark Nathan : Yes, but there is also the sound of the balloon, not just the breath.
18 hrs
That is apparently what some of the other answers were referring to. But the text is telling the reader how to blow in, not directing them to cause the balloon to make a particular sound.
agree Cilian O'Tuama : And there's nothing ridiculous about asking how a sound might be spelled. Creating a word that phonetically resembles the sound that it describes.
1 day 7 hrs
Something went wrong...
1 hr

pfft

This site has recordings

https://www.pond5.com/search?kw=balloon-inflate&media=sfx


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2024-05-08 21:04:16 GMT)
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Or to emphasize the blowing, "pffffft"

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 17 hrs (2024-05-09 12:36:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Maybe drop the t:

pfffeuh?

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Note added at 18 hrs (2024-05-09 13:26:04 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Or combining Helena's reference,

pffwhissst
Peer comment(s):
disagree Cilian O'Tuama : Sorry, but pfft sounds like you're keeping lips and teeth together, not exactly what you do when blowing up a balloon :-)
4 hrs
Well you certainly have to keep your lips together. Maybe "pfffeuh"?
neutral Chris Says Bye : I think this has a different meaning
11 hrs
Yes, but I think the sound is close.
agree Anna Wright : pfhhhhuh? I don't think there's a standard phonetic transcription of this ;-)! Lots of 'hs' seem good to represent the unvoiced aspiration, preceded by 'pf' for pursed lips. I like the FR 'pfeuhh' too. Maybe omit the vowels altogether, and go for 'pfhhh'
14 hrs
Yes, or pfffeuh
agree philgoddard : This is a rather odd question - I don't see why you'd need to spell it out rather than just say 'blow' - but this seems a reasonable answer. And I'm guessing it's written for children, not phonetics students.
16 hrs
Fair point Phil, perhaps we should stick with established onomatopoeic words like bang and oink.
disagree MollyRose : This sounds more like when the air is let out, rather than blowing it in.
19 hrs
pffwhisst ?
Something went wrong...

Reference comments

48 mins
Reference:

The following reference made me laugh. The whole thread, not just the fragment I've posted.

whiisssst, whisssst, whisssst, whissstttt…........squarrrk! (this is the sound when you pull it out of the mouth and turn it to judge it’s fullness)...Whissst…..

https://www.fluther.com/78810/how-do-spell-the-sound-of-blow...
Note from asker:
Funny thread, thank you, Helena :) I also agree with your comment that exhale/inhale is not the best word choice for kids. Thank you.
Peer comments on this reference comment:
agree JaneTranslates : I love it! My daughter's a kindergarten teacher, and I can hear this in her voice.
1 hr
Hi, Jane! I'm glad you like it :-)
agree Chris Says Bye
1 day 11 hrs
Thank you, Christopher :-)
agree Yvonne Gallagher
4 days
Something went wrong...
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