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20 Words To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours – A Resource For Writers
Writers know that using the senses is a great way to make stories come alive. In this post, we share 20 words to describe tastes and flavours.
Writers need to learn how to describe by showing and not telling and one of the ways we can show is through the five senses.
Readers want to experience what your characters see, smell, hear, taste, and touch.
In this post, I will write about words that describe taste.
taste Pronunciation: /teɪst/ the sensation of flavour perceived in the mouth and throat on contact with a substance Definition (Oxford Dictionaries)
It is important to note that you can only taste four flavours with your tongue. The flavours are sweet, sour, salty, and bitter. (Some people believe there are five if you accept a fifth flavour called ‘Umami’.)
Any other flavours you taste are a combination of these four flavours, or are smelled with your nose. This is why you don’t enjoy food when you have a blocked nose.
As writers, we still need to know more than four words when we’re describing flavours. Writers Write is your one-stop resource for writers so I found these 20 options, with meanings, that you could use in your writing.
20 Words Used To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours
- acidic – very sour
- astringent – an astringent taste is one that is strong and bitter
- bitter – a strong sharp taste that is not sweet
- bitter-sweet – tasting bitter and sweet at the same time
- brackish – has a slight taste of salt and is therefore not pure
- hot – contains a lot of spices that create a burning feeling in your mouth
- mature – has been left to develop a pleasant strong flavour
- mild – does not have a strong taste
- ripe – has a strong flavour
- robust – has a lot of flavour
- savoury – tasting of salt or spices and not sweet
- seasoned – containing seasonings to improve flavour
- sharp – has a strong and bitter flavour
- sour – with a taste like a lemon
- spicy – has a strong hot flavour
- sweet-and-sour – contains both sweet and sour flavours
- syrupy – thick, sweet, and sticky
- tart – a slightly sour taste
- unsalted – not flavoured with salt
- watery – pale, or not strong
Top Tip: Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop.
If you enjoyed this post, read:
- 106 Ways To Describe Sounds
- 209 Words To Describe Touch
- 75 Words That Describe Smells
- How To Write A Beginning And An Ending That Readers Will Never Forget
- 10 Elementary Tips For Writers From Sherlock Holmes
- The Daily Word Counts of 39 Famous Authors
- 5 Incredibly Simple Ways To Help Writers Show And Not Tell
Source for words: Macmillan Dictionary/Thesaurus
Top Tip: Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop.
Posted on: 19th January 2014
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3 thoughts on “20 Words To Describe Specific Tastes And Flavours – A Resource For Writers”
You forgot putrid. lol
Great list!
Learning skill to write a book will improve the way in which we communicate be it making a speech giving a presentation or speaking to a group of people
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