The common feature of sounds occurring in a group of symbolic words or words of similar meanings: Laura, the poet laureate for the city, was well-known for her use of phonesthemes in her writing.

A phonestheme is a sound, sound cluster, or sound type that is directly associated with meanings.

An example of the phonaestheme "gl-" occurs in a large number of words relating to light or vision, such as glint, glow, glitter, glisten, gleam, glare, glimmer, glaze, glower, moonglade (moonlight on water), etc.

Additional examples of phonesthemes in English, include "sn-", which is related to the mouth or nose, such as in snarl, snout, snicker, snack, etc., and "sl-", which may be seen in words denoting frictionless motion. such as slide, slick, sled, etc.

"Phonesthetic" sound symbolism involves the use of sound symbolic elements called phonesthemes.