crackle
n. countablen. a sharp, short sound like a tiny explosion. You often hear it when you walk on dry leaves or when you open a bag of chips.
n. a sharp, staccato sound produced by the sudden release of energy, such as the breaking of brittle material or the discharge of static electricity.
The dry leaves made a loud crackle under my boots.
The fire in the hearth provided a constant crackle that made the room feel warm and inviting.
The static discharge created a distinct crackle in the speaker, momentarily disrupting the otherwise clear transmission of the emergency broadcast.
From Middle English crakelen, equivalent to crack + -le (frequentative suffix). The physics sense is part of a facetious sequence "snap, crackle, pop", after the mascots of Rice Krispies cereal.