Onomatopoeic words like “hiss” and “peep” are considered iconic because their sounds resemble the noises they represent. Iconicity, however, extends beyond direct imitation—crossing into different sensory modalities. For example, people often associate the made-up words “bouba” and “kiki” with round and angular shapes, respectively, and “mil” and “mal” with small and large sizes. This type of cross-modal matching is known as sound symbolism. These principles, among others like crossmodal analogies, assist in identifying and crafting the appropriate sound to convey the intended meaning. They also work without us being aware of. Learn more.