Frogs make a variety of sounds from the common “ribbit ribbit” to the more sophisticated croak, chirp, or hoot.
But the sound a frog makes truly depends on a variety of factors.
As a general rule, the sound a frog makes depends on the species, their intent (mating, territorial defense), and the language that the human interpreting the sound speaks. English speakers think frogs make a “Ribit Ribit” sound whereas French speakers hear “Croac Croac.”
Let’s have a look at each of these factors in more detail.
Frog Sounds Depend on Species
Each frog species has its own sounds and calls.
This allows male frogs to attract female frogs of the same species.
Frogs use sounds and silence to attract and warn other frogs.
They may make a long trill or small chirping with intermittent pauses.
Here are a few frogs I found in the wild and their calls. Hopefully these can help you identify frog sounds in your area as well.
Let’s start with frogs you can find in North America, and then I will cover a few you can find in other places around the world as well.
Wood Frog Sound
Spring Peeper Sound
In the recording above you can hear the Wood Frog mating call, which sounds like ducks quacking or saying “Hourah, Hourah!”
You can hear male Spring Peeper making “peeping” and chirping sounds at night during early spring:
Enjoyed this video? 🙂 Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more!
Green Frogs and American Toads are easier to find in Eastern North America in the Summer.
Green Frog Sound
American Toad Sound
American Bullfrogs and Grey Tree Frogs are also very easy to find in many parts of North America.
You can find American Bullfrogs along the banks of slow-moving wetlands, and Grey Tree Frogs in trees near fishes ponds.
American Bullfrog Sound
Grey Tree Frog Sound
American Bullfrogs make deep bellow-like sounds, especially in shallow wetland areas during the late Summer.
Grey Tree Frogs make short echoing trills.
Here are more frog species and the calls they make depending on the type of call:
| Frog Species | Call | Type |
| Spring Peeper | Chirp | Mating Call |
| Green Frog | Quack | Territorial Call |
| Wood Frog | Quack | Mating Call |
| Grey Tree Frog | Trill | Mating Call |
| American Bullfrog | Bellow | Mating Call |
| American Green Tree Frog | Honk | Mating Call |
| Leopard Frog | Snore | Mating Call |
| American Toad | Trill | Mating Call |
| Western Chorus Frog | Trill | Mating Call |
| Pickerel Frog | Snore | Mating Call |
| Green And Golden Bell Frog | Growl | Mating Call |
| Desert Rain Frog | Squeak | Defence Call |
| Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toad | Bleat (Lamb) | Mating Call |
If you just heard a frog call and are wondering what species it is, the following frog sound descriptions maybe helpful to you to identify the species.
Frog Sounds in Words
If there is a frog making calls in your backyard and you want to know what it is, this table may be able to help you.
Here are common sounds frogs make, and what the call may sound like to us (English speakers in North America, see further down the article for other languages and locations).
| Frog Species | Call | What The Frog Sounds Like |
| Spring Peeper | Peep | Crickets but in the Spring |
| Green Frog | Boog | Banjo being strung |
| Wood Frog | Hourah | Chickens clucking or ducks quacking |
| American Bullfrog | Bmm | Horns honking or cello sounding calls |
| American Green Tree Frog | Bark | A very small dog barking |
| Leopard Frog | Gurr Haha | Snore or door crack, ending with a laughing sound |
| Gray Tree Frog | Riiing | Old phone ringing |
| Western Chorus Frog | Beee | Running your fingers over the teeth of a comb |
| Pickerel Frog | Brrrr | A creaking door opening |
| Desert Rain Frog | Eeeee | A dog squeaky toy |
| Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toad | Baaaa | A sheep or lamb |
Spring Peeper are present in Eastern Canada and the United States and sound like crickets in the spring.
Green Frogs and Wood Frogs also call during the Spring and sound like ducks quacking.
If you hear a frog that sounds like a sheep or lamb bleating, it may be a Eastern Narrow-Mouthed Toad.
Pickerel Frogs sound like a creaking door opening.
American Bullfrogs sound like deep horns, notably during the Spring and into Summer.
If you would like to identify a frog sound in your area, start by looking for indicators that frogs are present near a water source like a pond, lake, stream, or river.
Also, consider the time of year since frogs actively call during mating season. Find out which species are present in your area and match what you hear with the species.
Frog Sounds Depend on Intent
Frogs can trill, chirp, scream, bark, grunt, peep, beep, cluck, croak, quack, whistle, bellow, and hoot. But their choice of sound depends on their intent.
Frogs make different sounds for different reasons, for example, to attract a mate, defend their territory, or fend off a predator.
Some Frog Sounds Can Be Heard Up To 1.6km (1 Mile) From The Frog
Frogs have a unique mating call to attract frogs of their own species.
Male frogs find the perfect place to reproduce and then call female frogs to them during mating season.
In North America, Spring Peepers, for example, will find small ponds and make high-pitched quaking sounds to call mates.
| Frog Species | Sound | Intent |
| Spring Peeper | High Pitched Quacks | Mating Call |
| Wood Frog | Quacks | Mating Call |
| American Bullfrog | Deep Croaks | Mating Call |
| Green Frog | Deep Croaks | Mating Call |
| Pickerel Frog | Long Deep Grunts | Mating Call |
| Desert Rain Frog | Squeak | Defence Call |
Frogs have unique calls to defend their territory.
Both male and female frogs will call, warn or scream to defend their territory from other frogs or predators.
Most frogs make sounds at night to avoid attracting predators that are active during the day.
Generally, frogs scream to startle or scare predators. Frogs may also release distress, warning, mating, territorial and rain calls that could sound like screaming. Screaming generally is one of the many defence mechanisms a frog may use to protect itself.
Some frogs scream when they are afraid or if a predator gets too close.
A frog scream may sound funny (watch the video above) but it can be an effective way for them to surprise a predator and deter it from attacking (CTNF).
The Desert Rain Frog will puff up like a little balloon and scream to scare its enemies and defend itself.
It is a tiny frog and its scream sounds more like a squeak from a dog’s toy, but if they are still here today and using this technique to scare predators, it must mean it works!
Click here to read 8 Reasons Why Frogs Scream on our blog
Frog Sound Name Depend on Language
The name of the sound a frog makes depends on linguistic interpretation. If you speak English, then you may believe that frogs “Ribit Ribit”, but French speakers believe frogs makes a “Croac Croac” sound, and Spanish speakers say frogs make a “Croá, Croá” sound.
Here are some other sounds frogs make depending on the language you speak:
| Language | Frog Sound |
| English | Ribbit Ribbit |
| French | Croac Croac |
| Spanish | Croá, Croá |
| Italian | Crack Crack |
| Hungarian | Brekeke |
| Turkish | Vrak Vrak |
| German | Quak Quak |
| Russian | Kvah Kvah |
| Korean | Gaegul Gaegul 개굴개굴 |
| Japanese | Kero Kero ケロケロ |
| Chinese | Quawk Quawk |
It is important to keep in mind that how the human interprets the sound a frog makes is also a factor that comes into play when imitating frog sounds.
Also, some languages have more precise verbs and adjectives to describe such sounds compared to others.
More About Frog Sounds
Frog calls depend on the frog’s intent and how us humans interpret their sounds.
Learn more about frog sounds in the guides on our blog below!
- 8 Reasons Why Frogs Scream
- Why do Frogs Croak at Night?
- 9 Things You Can Do About Loud Frogs at Night
- 8 Frog Calls, Screams & Their Meanings
- What Do Frogs Do At Night?
- How do Frogs Defend Themselves?
Questions Related to Sounds Frogs Make
What Sounds do Toads Make? As a general role, toads make croaking, quacking or chirping sounds depending on their intent including mating or territorial defence. Each toad species has unique calls and sounds.
How Do Frogs Make Sounds? Depending on the species, frogs use their vocal sacs to make sounds by closing their nostrils and pushing air into their lungs and vocal sac using it as a resonating chamber. Only male frogs can make sounds but some female species were found to do so as well.
Do All Frogs Sound The Same? All frogs do not sound the same since each species has its own unique calls. Male frogs make unique calls using their vocal sacs to attract female mates, to defend their territories, or fend off predators.
Can Humans Hear All Frog Sounds? Humans cannot hear all sounds frogs make as scientists found a frog species that can communicate using purely ultrasonic calls, whose frequencies are too high to be heard by humans.
Are Frogs Noisy? Frogs can be noisy in the wild especially around mating season. If there are tens to hundreds of frogs competing to attract females, they may increase the volume of their mating calls to drown out other males.
How do You Identify a Frog Sound? To identify a frog sound, start by looking for indicators that frogs are present in the area with a water source, and consider the time of year since frogs actively call during mating season. Find out which species are present in your area and match their mating calls.
Why do Frogs Scream? Some frogs scream when they are afraid, feel like they are in danger, to defend their territory, or if a predator gets too close. A frog scream may sound funny but it can be an effective way for them to surprise a predator and deter it from attacking.
What Words Can Describe Frog Sounds? Words to describe frog sounds include trill, chirp, scream, bark, grunt, peep, beep, cluck, croak, quack, whistle, bellow, and hoot. The sound a frog makes depends on their intent.
Sources
Music of Nature: Calls of Frogs and Toads
Pure Ultrasonic Communication: PLOS Journals
14 Fun Facts About Frogs: A 15-Minute Book: Educational Version
