definition literature assonance

Definition of Assonance

Assonance is a literary device in which the repetition of similar vowel sounds takes place in two or more words in proximity to each other within a line of poetry or prose . Assonance most often refers to the repetition of internal vowel sounds in words that do not end the same. For example, “he fell asl ee p under the cherry tr ee ” is a phrase that features assonance with the repetition of the long “e” vowel, despite the fact that the words containing this vowel do not end in perfect rhymes . This allows writers the means of emphasizing important words in a phrase or line, as well as creating a sense of rhythm , enhancing mood , and offering a lyrical effect of words and sounds.

In his poem “Player Piano ,” John Updike offers a powerful example of assonance for his reader in the line “never my n um b pl un ker f um bles.” By repeating vowel sounds in “numb,” “plunker,” and “fumbles,” Updike is able to emphasize the “clunky” rhythm and sounds of these words when put together. This creates an interesting contrast in consideration of the poem’s title, which would more likely indicate the presence of melodious words and sounds in the poem.

Common Examples of Assonance

Many common phrases utilize assonance. People use them in everyday speech for emphasis or to reflect the mood. Here are some examples of common uses of assonance:

• S o n of a g u n
• The c a t is out of the b a g
• D u mb l u ck
• After awh ile , crocod ile
• Ch i ps and d i p
• C o ck of the w al k
• Goodn igh t, sleep t igh t, don’t let the bedbugs b i te
• Str a nger d a nger
• W i nner, w i nner, ch i cken d i nner
• M o tion of the o cean
• Keep your eye s on the pr i ze
• L ea n, m ea n, fight ing mach ine
• W i ld ch i ld
• S ur f and t ur f

Examples of Assonance in Song

Assonance is a useful device when it comes to song lyrics and titles. Here are some examples of assonance in well-known songs:

• “Those L az y-H az y-Cr az y D ays of Summer” (Hans Carste)
• “I rec all Centr al Park in f all ” (“Danke Schoen” Wayne Newton)
• “R o ck Around the Cl o ck” (Bill Haley and His Comets)
• “The r ai n in Sp ai n st ay s m ai nly in the pl ai n” (musical “My Fair Lady”)
• “B a ck in Bl a ck” (AC/DC)
• “ Oh , give me a h o me where the buffal o r oa m” (“Home on the Range” Daniel E. Kelley and Brewster M. Higley)
• “ O nly the L o nely” (Roy Orbison)
• “Say hey, g oo d l oo kin’. Whatcha got c oo kin’?” (“Hey Good Lookin'” Hank Williams, Jr.)
• “Cr o c o dile R o ck” (Elton John)
• “L igh t M y F i re” (The Doors)
• “S i lent n igh t, holy n igh t, all is calm, all is br igh t” (“Silent Night ” Joseph Mohr)

Famous Examples of Assonance

Think you haven’t heard of any  famous phrases with assonance? Here are some well-known and recognizable examples of this :

• Once upon a midnight dr ea ry, while I pondered, w ea k and w ea ry (“ The Raven ” Edgar Allan Poe )
• I do not like green eggs and h am . I do not like them S am I Am . (“ Green Eggs and Ham ” Dr. Seuss)
• N i ne n i ce n i ght nurses nursing n i cely (English language tongue-twister)
• N u tter B u tter (American cookie brand)
• This little l i ght of m i ne, I ‘m going to let it sh i ne (gospel/spiritual Harry Dixon Loes)
• G ir l with a P ear l Earring (painting by Johannes Vermeer)

Difference Between Assonance and Alliteration

Assonance and alliteration are often confused with each other when it comes to literary devices . They are similar in the sense that they rely on the repetition of a sound in words that are either adjacent or in close proximity to each other. However, assonance refers to the repetition of vowel sounds. Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter or sound at the beginning of words.

An example of alliteration would be the title of a poem by Shel Silverstein:  Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out . The first four words of this title repeat the sound of the consonant “s,” even though the word Cynthia begins with a different consonant. Like assonance, alliteration is the repetition of sound for literary effect. However, assonance is strictly limited to repeated vowel sounds.

Both assonance and alliteration can influence the rhythm of poetry and prose. In addition, the repetition of sound for both assonance and alliteration must take place in words that are near each other within a phrase or line. Otherwise, the effect is likely to go unnoticed by the reader. When used properly as literary devices, they can enhance the meaning of literature as well as the enjoyment and artful use of words and their sounds.

Writing Assonance

Overall, as a literary device, assonance functions as a means of creating rhythm through stressing syllables with repetitious vowel sounds. In addition, assonance can regulate the pacing of a poem or line of text. For example, long vowel sounds tend to slow the pace of reading, whereas short vowel sounds tend to quicken a reader’s pace. This control of pacing is an effective device utilized by writers to create or indicate the tone and mood of a literary work.

Like any literary device, writers should avoid the overuse of assonance. Too many instances of assonance in any form of literature can be distracting and ineffective for the reader. Therefore, it’s best to make subtle and sparing use of assonance.

Here are some ways that writers benefit from incorporating assonance into their work:

Use of Rhythm

Assonance allows writers to create a sense of rhythm in their work. This is especially effective when it comes to poetry. In writing, rhythm is based on patterns of syllables and sounds that are stressed and unstressed. With the repetition of vowel sounds, writers can control which syllables are stressed in a line of poetry or prose, thereby creating rhythms that are quick, slow, or a combination. This talent for assonance allows for variety in the pacing of words which enhances the experience for the reader.

Enhance Mood

In many art forms, sound is a crucial technique in setting the tone and enhancing mood. Assonance is an example of this technique in writing. With vowel sounds, in particular, a writer can create a somber, lighthearted, playful, or even chilling mood in a poem or work of prose, just through repetition.

Lyrical Effect

In addition to creating rhythm in a work of poetry or prose, assonance also creates a lyrical effect for the reader. Vowel repetition can enhance the meaning of words in literature as well as their musicality. Though assonance is more similar to internal than end rhyme , the quality of repeated sound can mimic the quality of a repeated note or chord in a phrase of music. This lyrical effect has great value for the reader of a line of poetry or prose. As a literary device, assonance can demonstrate the harmony and musical quality of word choice and language.

Difference Between Assonance and Consonance

As stated in consonance , both assonance and consonance are poetic devices. Whereas a consonance is a repetition of consonance sounds in a verse , assonance is a repetition of vowel sounds in a verse. They are different in that one comprises vowel sounds and the other consonant sounds, one comprises stressed and the other unstressed syllables. Also, whereas a consonance could be used in prose to make it melodious, assonance is used only in poetic verses and not in prose.

Use of Assonance in Sentences

• His t a ble’s st a ble after putting a balancer under it.
• On a cold w i nter even i ng; sing i ng was not allowed on the farm.
• Are you sure B o b r o bbed the store last night?
• There’s a gr ee n b ee instead of a yellow one in the fantasy world.
• Jane asked Johnny to j u st tr u st her while cutting his hair.

Examples of Assonance in Literature

Assonance is an effective literary device. Here are some examples of assonance and how it adds to the artistic quality of well-known literary works:

Example 1:  Look, Stranger (W.H. Auden)

Here at the sm all field’s ending p au se Where the ch al k w all f all s to the foam and it’s t all ledges Oppose the pluck

Auden utilizes assonance as a literary device in this poem to create a sense of rhythm and lyrical effect. The words “chalk,” “wall,” and “falls,” are not only repetitive in their vowel sounds but there are no words in between to separate them. This has a rhythmic effect for the reader that echoes the visual image that the words conjure forth. The awkward repetition of the vowel sound in these words creates a sense of crumbling in the way that a chalk wall would fall.

Yet in addition to a rhythmic effect, the assonance in this part of Auden’s poem is also lyrical. The uninterrupted repetition of the vowel in the second line mirrors a lyrical descent or even decrescendo of words and sounds. As a literary device, assonance creates poetic imagery and lyricism in Auden’s work.

Example 2:  the mother (Gwendolyn Brooks)

Though why should I wh i ne, Wh i ne that the cr i me was other than m i ne?– Since anyhow you are dead.

Example 3:  Up-Hill (Christina Rossetti)

But i s there for the night a resting-place?    A roof for when the slow dark hours beg i n. May not the darkness hide i t from my face?    You cannot m i ss that i nn.

Synonyms of Assonance

Although there are no synonyms for assonance, the closest resembling words are chant, lyric , music, aria, and chime. Refrain and theme also come close to it in meanings, but they are, too, literary devices, having their own distinct meanings and uses.

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Assonance Definition

What is assonance? Here's a quick and simple definition:

Assonance is a figure of speech in which the same vowel sound repeats within a group of words. An example of assonance is: "Wh o gave N ew t and Sc oo ter the bl ue t u na? It was t oo s oo n!"

Some additional key details about assonance:

• Assonance occurs when sounds , not letters, repeat. In the example above, the "oo" sound is what matters, not the different letters used to produce that sound.
• Assonance does not require that words with the same vowel sounds be directly next to each other. Assonance occurs so long as identical vowel-sounds are relatively close together.
• Assonant vowel sounds can occur anywhere (at the beginning or end, on stressed or unstressed syllables) within any of the words in the group.

How to Pronounce Assonance

Here's how to pronounce assonance: ass -uh-nuhnce

Assonance vs. Consonance

Assonance is identical to another figure of speech called consonance , with one critical difference: assonance has to do with repeated vowel sounds, whereas consonance has to do with repeated consonant sounds.

• Assonance is repetition of vowel sounds: "I m i ght l i ke to take a fl i ght to an i sland in the sk y ."
• Consonance is repetition of consonant sounds: "A du ck that c lu ck ed drove a tru ck into an a q uedu c t.

Assonance vs. Alliteration

Alliteration is another figure of speech that involves the repetition of sounds and is related to assonance. Assonance and alliteration differ in two key respects.

• Types of repeating sounds: Assonance involves the repetition of only vowel sounds, whereas alliteration can involve the repetition of either vowel sounds or consonant sounds.
• Position of repeating sounds: The repeating sounds of assonance can occur anywhere in a word. The repeating sounds of alliteration, in contrast, must occur either in the first syllables of words or on the stressed syllables of words.

In practical terms, these rules mean that assonance can sometimes also be alliteration, but isn't always.

Assonance That Is Also Alliteration

Here are two examples of assonance that is also alliteration. In the first example, the assonance occurs at the beginning of words in the group. In the second example, assonance always occurs on stressed syllables of words (note that the second syllables of the words "decline" and "define" are the stressed syllables):

• " Au nt A gnes! A ck! A nother a ccounting error!"
• I l i ke to decl i ne an offer of w i ne to def i ne m y st y le.

Assonance That Is NOT Also Alliteration

In the example below, assonance is not also alliteration, because the repeating vowel sound almost never occurs on either the first or stressed syllables (only on "imp" does it do either):

• Al i ce i gnored the mal i ce of the i mp and bought the pal a ce.

If you read this example aloud, and also read aloud the assonance examples that are alliteration, you'll sense that, while both have repeating vowel sounds, the examples that are also alliteration have a kind of rhythm to them that non-alliterative assonance lacks.

Assonance and Rhyme

Assonance also plays a role in rhyme . Rhyme is the repetition of identical sounds located at the ends of words. Rhymes can be either repeated consonant sounds or vowel sounds (or combinations of the two). A rhyme, then, can be assonant, but not all rhymes are assonant. Here's an example of assonance functioning as rhyme at the end of lines three and four of the limerick below:

There once was a man named Clark Whose dog refused to bark But when he gave the dog p ie It stopped being so sh y And is loud nonstop until dark

Assonance also plays a noticeable role in slant rhyme , a type of rhyme formed by words with sounds that are similar but not identical. Slant rhymes often pair similar vowel sounds with dissimilar consonant sounds, which means that slant rhymes often contain assonance. In the example below from the song "N.Y. State of Mind" the rapper Nas uses assonance to create slant rhymes between the first syllable of "prosperous," the word "cops," and the first syllable of the word "hostages." In addition, the assonance of the "uh" sound in final syllables of "prosperous," "dangerous," and "could just" establishes the slant rhyme that ends with the slightly different vowel sound in "hostages."

And be pr o sper ou s, though we live danger ou s C o ps could j u st arrest me, blamin’ us, we’re held like h o stages

Assonance Examples

Assonance is common in all sorts of writing, including poetry and prose literature, as well as song lyrics.

Assonance Examples in Literature

In both poetry and prose, assonance's repetition of sound can give language a musical element, as well as emphasize sounds or words that particularly resonate with the ideas or themes of the work. When assonance is also alliterative, it can add rhythm to text, too.

Assonance in John Donne's "Holy Sonnet 3"

Here, the long-i sound is assonant, and its repetition emphasizes how the sound itself seems to embody the feeling being described, that of longing and sighing—of emotional turmoil. Assonance is particularly useful for this kind of sonic demonstration of feeling.

"O m igh t those s igh s and tears returns again ..."

Chris Martin's "Trajectory of a Thief"

This poem contains both assonance and alliteration. The "ee" sound in "each," "piece," and "meat" slows down that particular sequence, rendering especially vivid the eating of the turtle soup.

"Ted takes you to Chinatown for turtle Soup, ea ch p ie ce of its floating m ea t Wholly disparate ..."

Assonance in The Iliad

In these lines from Book XII of Lattimore's translation of Homer's Iliad the assonance helps reinforce the lulling effect of the winds' sleep:

"When Zeus ... st i lls the winds asleep i n the sol i d dr i ft ..."

Assonance in "The Seafarer"

The Seafarer is an Old English poem. In Old English poetry, rhyme was much less common, and assonance and consonance much more prevalent. In this translation of the poem by Ezra Pound, the assonance helps to emphasize the "harshness" described in the lines, through the repetition of the "-ar" sound.

Journey's j ar gon, how I in h ar sh days H ar dship endured oft.

Assonance in William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom

In this example, the assonance reinforces the repetition of the surname Bon, which is itself the French word for "good," thus drawing a contrast between the continued presence of "goodness" and the "getting rid of" described.

"So it took Charles B o n and his mother to get rid of old T o m, and Charles B o n and the o ctoroon to get rid of Judith, and Charles B o n and Clytie to get rid of Henry; and Charles B o n's mother and Charles B o n's grandmother g o t rid of Charles B o n."

Assonance in Alice Walker's The Color Purple

In this example from the first chapter of Alice Walker's The Color Purple , the insistence of the repeated "i" sounds intensifies the staccato present in these lines and establishes the narrator's tone—a combination of fear, intense description, and melancholy remembrance.

She got s i cker an s i cker. Finally she ast Where i t i s? I say God took i t. He took i t. He took i t while I was sleeping. K i lt i t out there i n the woods. K i ll th i s one too, i f he can.

Assonance in Song Lyrics

Assonance is also common in song lyrics. It can help to emphasize words and ideas, make connections across lines of lyrics, and when assonance is also alliteration it can help to build rhythm in the lyrics, as well.

Assonance in "Painter in Your Pocket" by Destroyer

"And I 'm rem i nded of the t i me that I was bl i nded b y the sun It was a welcome change From the s i ght of you hanging L i ke a willow

Assonance in "Something in the Way" by Nirvana

In this example, there are two sets of assonant sounds, one set on the long "e" sound, and another on the short "a" sound.

Undern ea th the bridge The tarp has sprung a l ea k A nd the a nimals I've tr a pped H a ve all become my pets And I'm living off of gr a ss A nd the drippings from the c ei ling But it's okay to ea t fish 'Cause they don't have any f ee lings

Assonance in "Without Me" by Eminem

Eminem uses assonance in complicated ways throughout his songs, giving them additional rhythm and structure. This example from "Without Me" is a good example:

Some v o dka that'll jump st a rt my h ea rt quicker Than a sh o ck when I get sh o cked at the h o spital By the d o ctor when I 'm not co- o perating When I 'm r o cking the table wh i le he's o perating

Why Do Writers Use Assonance?

Assonance is, fundamentally, an intensifier of language. This intensifying occurs in several senses.

• Assonance tends to draw out the sonic quality of words in a group. This drawing-out makes those words more obvious, or clearer to the reader. It also tends to encourage the reader to spend more time looking at, sounding out, and thinking about those words.
• Because assonance encourages continued attention, it slows down the reading process (and the reading-comprehension process). But because assonance also sounds good and is often easy and/or pleasurable to pronounce, it can also speed up the reading experience of a group of words. This simultaneous speeding-up and slowing-down of language is pleasurable. It's hard to explain why it's pleasurable, but it is; and writers know that creating text that's pleasurable to read will attract more readers.
• Assonance is of special use to poets because of how it encourages repeated reading of a group of words. Poets' lines are often more dense with meaning, wordplay, and figures of speech than a typical line of prose is.
• Sometimes, assonant words can resonate with the content of the lines or sentences in which it occurs, as in the John Donne example from Holy Sonnet 3, above. The assonance in these words allows the poem to put into effect , or to do the thing it is describing, rather than simply to describe or to tell about it.
• In prose that reaches for poetic beauty, assonance highlights the craft of the language by calling attention to the language itself. Not all prose wants to make itself known as language; some prose wants to report facts plainly and clearly. But prose using assonance conveys information and causes the reader to consider the words chosen and the order in which they're written.
• In songs, assonance increases the texture of the lines as they are sung, and provides opportunities for interaction with the tones and pitches the singer uses in combination with the lines. In both the Destroyer and Nirvana lyrics, above, the assonant features are highlighted by the singer via a change in pitch, or a notable increase in the length of the word as it is sung.

Other Helpful Assonance Resources

• The Wikipedia entry on Assonance : A fairly detailed explanation of assonance, with examples from across different languages.
• The dictionary definition of Assonance : A short definition, wth helpful comparison to rhyme.

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Definition of assonance

Examples of assonance in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'assonance.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

French, from Latin assonare to answer with the same sound, from ad- + sonare to sound, from sonus sound — more at sound entry 1

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Dictionary Entries Near assonance

as (something) as they come

assonanttal

Cite this Entry

“Assonance.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/assonance. Accessed 19 Nov. 2023.

Kids Definition

Kids definition of assonance, more from merriam-webster on assonance.

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about assonance

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I. What is Assonance?

Assonance (pronounced as – uh -n uh ns) is the repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences. The word is derived from the Latin phrase assonare , meaning to answer with the same sound. The following is a simple example of assonance:

She s ee ms to b ea m rays of sunshine with her eyes of gr ee n.

In this example, the speaker uses assonance to describe a pretty woman. Assonance occurs in the repeating vowel sounds of seems, beam, and green.

II. Examples of  Assonance

Here are a few examples of how assonance can be used to invoke a certain feeling or to create rhythm:

A girl uses assonance to show dislike:

They’re some cr ee ps who I wouldn’t m ee t if you paid m e a h ea p of cash!

Like in a rap song, assonance gives a sentence rhythm and musicality . This helps reflect the speaker’s aggressive mood. Assonance occurs in the vowel sounds repeated through creeps, meet, me, and heap.

A poet uses assonance in a different way:

I wish there was a w ay to m a ke her st a te similar feelings to th o se of my s ou l.

Assonance is used to provide a poem with musicality and softness which mirrors the romantic, longing mood of the line. Assonance occurs in the vowel sounds of way, make, and state as well as those and soul.

III. The importance of using Assonance

Assonance can be used in all types of literature, but is commonly found in poetry. Assonance provides poetic writing with rhythm and musicality. It also mirrors or changes the mood of a poem in order to match the subject matter. Beyond literature, assonance is also found in pop culture, especially in music. As you will hear, it is possible to use assonance in everyday speech. However, most people don’t use it intentionally, unless trying to woo someone romantically!

IV. Examples of Assonance in Literature

Assonance is used in both poetry and prose, but is primarily found in poetry. Here are a few examples:

William Wordsworth uses assonance to reflect the calm and thoughtful mood of his poem “Daffodils”:

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o‘er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A h o st, of g o lden daff o dils; Beside the lake, ben ea th the tr ee s, Fluttering and dancing in the br ee ze…

Host, golden, and daffodils share the same vowel sound. Beneath, trees, and breeze share the same vowel sound as well.

James Joyce invokes the feeling of whispering and beauty in these lines from his novel A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man :

Soft language i ssued from their sp i tless l i ps as they sw i shed in low circles round and round the field, winding hither and thither through the weds.

Issued, spitless, lips, and swished all share the same vowel sound in a way that nearly sounds like soft whispering in rhythm.

V. Examples of Assonance in Pop Culture

Like poetry, music is full of assonance as a sound device for beauty, rhythm, and mood. Assonance is found in all genres of music from post-rock to pop to jazz to rap.

Pink Floyd’s “Granchester Meadows” is full of poetic devices, including assonance:

In the sky a b i rd was h ea rd to cry M i sty morning wh i sperings and gentle st i rring sounds Bel i e the deathly s i lence that lay all around

Bird and heard; misty, whisperings, and stirring; belie and silence! There are many instances of assonance to be found in this song. Theses allow a mysterious, poetic, and beautiful sound.

Thin Lizzy’s “With Love” also employs assonance:

It’s a tedious existence laying your love on the line Resistance is useless she can leave at any time I must conf es s that it my qu es t I felt depr es sed and r es tless But this Casanova’s roving days are over more or less

The third line is full of assonance which gives this brokenhearted love song poetic beauty.

Eminem, known for his use of poetic devices in rap, also uses assonance in this line:

F i re at the pr i vate eye h i red to pr y in m y business.

Such use of assonance gives Eminem’s rap a clear and steady rhythm.

VI. Related Terms

(Terms: alliteration and rhyme)

• Alliteration

Like assonance, alliteration involves the repetition of certain sounds. Whereas assonance is repetition of vowel sounds within words, alliteration is repetition of the consonant sound at the beginning of multiple words. Alliteration and assonance are both used in poetry to provide rhythm. A common example of alliteration is the tongue twister: “Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers.”

Assonance and rhyme both provide poetry and prose with musicality and rhythm. Although assonance and rhyme both involve repetition, there is a slight difference. Assonance is a repetition of vowel sounds, whereas rhyme is a repetition of both vowel and consonant sounds. Here are a few examples:

Oh, how the evening light f a des over the l a ke.

Fade and lake share a vowel sound, but not a consonant sound, so this line uses assonance rather than rhyme.

Evening light flickers and will f ade over the holiday par ade .

In this line, fade and parade contain shared vowel and consonant sounds. Therefore, they would be considered a case of rhyme rather than assonance.

Note that assonance occurs as well: holiday shares vowel sounds with fade and parade.

I f i nd this l i ne difficult to complete in t i me.

In this line, find, line, and time all include the same vowel sound, but have differing consonant sounds. Let’s examine a similar line for rhyme:

I f ind this gr ind of coffee in a l ine of f ine brands on the shelf.

In this line, there are two instances of rhyme: find and grind, and line and fine. Interestingly, all share vowel sounds, so although find and fine and grind and line are not rhymes, they form assonance.

VII. Conclusion

In conclusion, assonance is a useful poetic device in which the writer places repeating vowel sounds closely. Doing so gives the composition rhythm and sound, which may reflect the overall meaning or mood of the piece.

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Literary Devices

Literary devices, terms, and elements, definition of assonance.

Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound or diphthong in non-rhyming words. To qualify as assonance, the words must be close enough for the repetition of the sound to be noticeable. Assonance is a common literary technique used in poetry and prose , and is widely found in English verse .

Difference Between Assonance, Consonance, and Alliteration, and Slant Rhyme

The techniques of assonance, alliteration , consonance , sibilance , and slant rhyme are all closely related and include the repetition of certain sounds in quick succession.

• Consonance: Literary consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sounds. Like assonance, the repetition must be close enough to register in the ear of the listener. The repetition can happen anywhere in the words. Since the definition of assonance only includes vowel sounds, assonance and consonance can be understood to describe the same phenomena, yet with opposite meanings (an easy way to remember which one is which is that the word “assonance” starts with a vowel and the word “consonance” starts with a consonant). One such example of consonance is the “l” sound from Mary Oliver’s poem “Wild Geese”: “You on l y have to l et the soft anima l of your body / l ove what it l oves.”
• Alliteration: Alliteration is a special case of consonance and refers to the repetition of consonant sounds or blends at the beginning of words or in the stressed syllables of a line. Since consonance may happen anywhere in a word, the concepts are related but not identical. Historically, alliteration may also use different consonant sounds with similar properties, like the sounds “z” and “s”. Lord Byron uses alliteration in his poem “She Walks in Beauty,” as shown here: “She walks in beauty, like the night / Of cl oudless cl imes and s tarry s kies.”
• Sibilance: Sibilance is another special case of consonance wherein the consonant sound that is repeated is “s” or “sh”, which are called sibilant sounds. This example from Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf contains sibilance: “There was Sh ield Sh eafson, s courge of many tribe s .”
• Slant rhyme or half rhyme : Slant rhyme includes the repetition of sounds that are similar but not quite rhyming. Usually the consonant sounds are repeated while the vowel sounds are different, or the vowel sounds are the same while the consonants are different. Thus, slant rhyme can use either consonance or assonance, or it can be a combination of the two. There are many other names for this type of rhyme, including lazy rhyme, near rhyme, approximate rhyme, suspended rhyme, imperfect rhyme, inexact rhyme, off rhyme, or analyzed rhyme. It is especially common in hip-hop lyrics. The following example is from a song called “Little Mercy” by hip-hop group Doomtree: “We broke our backs stacking bricks / We never broke our promises.” In this instance, there are several repeated sounds: the “b” in broke, backs, and bricks; the “k” in broke, backs, stacking, and bricks; the “a” in backs and stacking; and the “i” in bricks and promises.

Common Examples of Assonance

Several proverbs in English contain examples of assonance. The assonance in these phrases helps to make them more memorable in a subtler way than through rhyming words. A few of these proverbs are highlighted below:

• The ear ly b ir d catches the w or m.
• H o nesty is the best p o licy.
• Let the c a t out of the b a g.
• A stitch in t i me saves n i ne.
• The sq uea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se.

Significance of Assonance in English

While many may think that rhyme is one of the fundamental aspects of poetry, it was not at all common in Old English verse. The lexicon of Old English did not include many rhyming words. Instead, the chief poetic techniques of Old English storytellers were rhythm and meter , and consonance and assonance. Rhyme only became popular in English poetry later, after the Germanic language took on many new words from Romance languages. This is because Romance languages like French, Italian, and Spanish have many more words with similar endings. Indeed, rhyme was quite popular in the troubadour tradition, which began in France in the late 11 th century and spread to Spain and Italy. Rhyme remained common in English verse for several hundred years, but has once again fallen out of favor. Meanwhile, contemporary poets still use assonance, consonance, and alliteration to provide more subtle phonemic unity.

Examples of Assonance From Literature

I never heard before of a ship so well furbished with b a ttle t a ckle… …no wise man in hall or w ea thered v e teran… …asl ee p from their f ea sting… …they w e pt to h ea ven…

( Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney)

The epic poem Beowulf is one of the largest and oldest surviving texts from Old English. Seamus Heaney published a translation of the poem in 1999, and in his introduction made special note of the cadence and sound of Old English. He writes that he tried to keep his translation loyal to the importance and frequent usage of alliteration in the original. In the examples above, Heaney employs assonance to mimic the original phonemic unity in Old English.

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme; But you shall shine more bright in these contents…

( Sonnet 55 by Shakespeare)

This excerpt from Shakepeare’s Sonnet 55 contains two different assonance examples; the first is the short “i” sound in “princes” and “outlive” and the second is the long “i” sound in “shine” and “bright.”

These things are with us every day even on b ea chheads and b ie rs. They do have meaning. They’re str o ng as r o cks.

(“Today” by Frank O’Hara)

Frank O’Hara’s poem “Today” has several instances of assonance and consonance. In this excerpt, the assonance between the words “strong” and “rocks” helps to connect the two concepts.

St e m e nd and blossom e nd, And e very fl e ck of russ e t showing clear

(“After Apple-Picking” by Robert Frost)

Robert Frost’s poem contains assonance in the title with the repetition of the short “a” sound in “after” and “apple.” The excerpt here also contains several short “e” sounds in quick succession, giving these two lines an extra sense of unity.

But s om e p un ks want to j um p u p With a sharp t on gue and their fr on ts u p Like we got here by d um b l u ck But they j u st want to bec o me u s.

(“Bangarang” by Doomtree)

This is another example from the hip-hop group Doomtree. Their song “Bangarang” contains many usages of assonance, but these four lines are particularly full of the technique. Out of these thirty-two words, more than a third of them (twelve) contain the same short “u” sound, with the addition of some consonance of “m” and “n”. This technique propels the rhythm forward in this section of the song.

Test Your Knowledge of Assonance

1. Which of the following is the best assonance definition? A. A string of repeated sounds. B. The repetition of a vowel sound in non-rhyming words. C. The repetition of the same consonant sounds. D. The repetition of sounds at the beginning of several words in a line.

3. Why were assonance, consonance, and alliteration an important part of Old English poetry? A. There weren’t many rhyming words in Old English and thus the poets used the techniques of assonance, consonance, and alliteration to provide phonemic unity and rhythm. B. Poets in Old English didn’t like rhyming words and actively avoided them until forced to include them later on. C.  Rhyming words were more important that assonance, consonance, and alliteration, but Old English poets couldn’t think of enough of them. D. Old English was a Romance language, and thus there were not many words that ended in the same way, making it difficult to find rhymes to use.

What Is Assonance? Definition, Usage, and Literary Examples

Assonance definition.

Assonance  (AZZ-so-nanss) is a literary  sound device  that repeats a vowel sound several times in a sequence of words. It’s easiest to spot in  poetry , but it can be used to great effect in fiction, nonfiction, speeches, and advertisement as well. The word comes from French via the Latin  assonantem , meaning “to resound.”

Examples of Assonance

To be effective, assonant repetition must occur within a short sequence of words, though not necessarily in consecutive words. Note that the same vowel sound can come from different letters or letter combinations. Additionally, assonance doesn’t need to be at the beginning of a word. Consider the following examples, where the repeated vowel sounds are bolded:

• “Is it  true  that  you  intro duced  the bride  to  the  groom ?”
• “ See ing the  trees   release  their  leaves  and  hear ing the autumn  breeze  made  me   feel  com plete .”
• “I  got   caught  by my  pop  drawing on the  sidewalk  with  chalk .”

Assonance and Other Sound Devices

Consonance is a sound device that’s a close sibling of assonance. Essentially, it’s the consonant version: repeating consonant sounds within a short sequence of words. For example: “ J ackie  ge nerally ad j usts the ob j ects in the  j ar to rearran ge  their ener gi es.” The  j /soft  g  sound repeats throughout the sentence. Notice that, as with assonance, the position of the consonant sound within the word doesn’t matter.

Alliteration , on the other hand, can only occur at the beginning of each word, and it can be a consonant sound or a vowel sound.

• “ M ika  m akes  m ulberry  m uffins and  m unches them  m ”
• “ A nnie lobs  a pples  a t  A gnes  a nd  a cts  a ”

Assonance, Rhyme, and Rhythm

In addition to certain sound devices, assonance has a close relationship with  rhyme  and  rhythm .

Assonance and Rhyme

A syllable is a word component that contains a single vowel sound. Every word has at least one stressed syllable, which is the syllable that’s emphasized when a word is spoken. For example, which of these sounds right: pa per  or  pa per? Stresses can vary within the same language from region to region (e.g., the word  pecan  can be pronounced  pee -can or pi- cahn ). How syllables appear in words is a foundational component of rhyme, particularly with slant and internal rhymes.

Traditionally, slant rhyme referred to two or more stressed syllables that have different vowel sounds but end with the same consonant sound, like  heart  and  court . However, the definition has expanded to include assonance, so  pack  and  bat  also qualify. Popular music, particularly rap and hip-hop, often depends on slant rhyme to avoid repetitive words/sounds. After all, there are only so many perfect rhymes in the English language, and some words (e.g.,  month  and  purple ) have no rhymes at all.

Another important poetic device is internal rhyme. Typically, when people think about rhyming in poetry, they think of two end words rhyming:

Coffee tastes good and makes me feel  nice .

I love it hot in a mug. I also love it on  ice .

Internal rhyme, however, occurs in the middle of a line, and it can include any combination of rhyming words:

• Rhyming with a word at the beginning of a line: “ Tea  is not for  me ; it’s not my cup.”
• Rhyming with a word at the end of a line: “If my coffee’s not  black , I’ll send it  back .”
• Rhyming with other words in the middle of a line: “I don’t  think  it’s good to  drink  your dessert.”
• Rhyming across different lines: “Keeping coffee by my  side  keeps me  wide-eyed  / It can’t be  denied : it’s better than all / the others I’ve  tried . It keeps me in  stride .”

Assonance and Rhythm

Rhythm refers to the beat created by alternating stressed and unstressed syllables within a piece of writing or in speech. Assonance can strengthen rhythm and enhance whatever mood is being conveyed, especially in music.

For example, internet sensation-turned-popstar Doja Cat often flexes her lyrical and performance skills with humor. In “Mooo,” the repetition of the  aw  sound enhances the hilarious bovine lines, in addition to acting as a metronome for the beat of the song:

With my  far mer (Woo), Mac Don ald (Woo)

And he feed me real good, it’s a  honor  (It’s a  honor )

Philly cheesesteak  all  in that  order  (In that  order )

Chili cheese fries as a  starter (As a  starter )

Assonance in Poetry

As discussed, assonance is an integral part of  poetry . It can be found in  poems  with a consistent rhyme scheme or  blank verse  poetry.

1. Nikki Giovanni, “Poetry”

The first lulling lines of this poem begin an interweaving of several repeating vowel sounds:  oh ,  aw , and  long  i .

poetry  is  motion  graceful

as a  fawn

gentle as a  teardrop

strong   like  the  eye

finding  peace in a crowded room

we  poets  tend to think

our words are  golden

though emotion  speaks too

loudly to be  defined

by  silence

The assonant effect draws out of certain words, which adds to the poem’s dreamy rhythm.

2. William Wordsworth, “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”

The long  o  sound in these first four lines gives the impression of one going on a mopey traipse through a field:

I wandered  lone ly as a cloud

That  floats  on high  o’er  vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A  host , of  golden   daffodils ;

3. John Hodgen, “Forget-Me-Not”

Listen for the assonance in the first two lines:

My brother is  dying  and  I  am not.

I drag him  behind  me  like  a spiritless balloon,  like  the first robot,

The repeated long  i  sound stretches potentially sing-songy lines into the beginning of a dirge.

Examples of Assonance in Literature

1. Maya Angelou,  I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Authors like Angelou, who are equally celebrated for poetry and prose, incorporate poetic devices into all their works. Notice the repeating short  e  sound in the beginning of her groundbreaking autobiographical novel:

Whether  I could re member  the  rest  of the poem or not was immaterial. The truth of the state ment  was like a wadded-up handkerchief, sopping  wet  in my fists, and the sooner they ac cepted  it the quicker I could  let  my hands open and the air would cool my palms.

The little pops created by this use of assonance express the discomfort of being an embarrassed child.

2. Lewis Carroll,  Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Another example of a poet writing prose, Carroll even put an example of assonance in the title of this children’s tale. The trend continues through the book’s first sentence:

Al ice  was be ginning  to get very tired of  sitting  by her  sis ter on the bank, and of having noth ing  to do: once or twice she had peeped  in to the book her  sis ter was read ing , but it had no  pic tures or conversations  in it , “and what  is  the use of a book,” thought Al ice  “ with out  pic tures or conversation?”

Further Resources on Assonance

Explore the math and science of how assonance makes for good rap with these insightful articles: “ The best rapper alive, as decided by computers ” by Phil Edwards and “ Check the Rhyme: Quantifying Assonance in Rap Lyrics ” by Iyi Obiechina.

Discover how assonance and other sound devices help people learn in “ Phonemic repetition and the learning of lexical chunks: The power of assonance ” by Seth Lindstromberg.

Related Terms

• Alliteration
• Sound Devices

• Scriptwriting

What is Assonance — Definition and Examples for Writers

O ne of the most effective ways at making a line of text in literature memorable is by creating rhythm. Writers have a few ways of creating rhythm such as rhyming and alliteration. However, both can become redundant because of their more obvious nature. A more subtle literary device that creates rhythm is assonance. What is assonance? The effects of assonance are similar, but are technically achieved in a different way. In this article, we’ll discover how by looking at the assonance definition and examples .

Tools For Screenwriters

Literary devices.

Literary Elements

• Deuteragonist
• Foil Character
• Point of View
• Protagonist

Literary Techniques

• Alliteration
• Connotation
• Deus ex Machina
• Foreshadowing
• Iambic Pentameter
• Juxtaposition
• Onomatopoeia
• Personification
• Red Herring

What is assonance

First, let’s define assonance.

Among the numerous literary devices , assonance may be one of the lesser known tools. Although it may not be as commonly understood, it is definitely commonly used. Before we analyze the assonance meaning and examples, let’s establish a basic assonance definition.

ASSONANCE DEFINITION

What is assonance.

Assonance is the repetitive use of vowel sounds within a single line of text. Assonance is most commonly found in poetry and lyrical music. Often referred to as “vowel rhyming,” assonance typically utilizes recurring vowel sounds in the middle of consecutive words. These words have to be close together in a line of text so that the repetition of the vowel sound is more noticeable.

Assonance Examples

• "If I bl ea t when I sp ea k it's because I just got . . . fl ee ced." — Al Swearengen
• "Hear the m e llow w e dding b e lls" — Edgar Allen Poe
• "Str i ps of t i nfoil w i nking like people" — Sylvia Plath

What is assonance used for?

The main function of assonance is to create rhythm in text. This is why many poets use assonance, consonance, and alliteration . The repetitive use of a vowel sound can create rhythm in a reader’s mind and rhythm can make a line more memorable. While alliteration is similar in function, it is different in technique. What is the difference between assonance vs alliteration? This video explains. 

Whats assonance? Alliteration vs Assonance

When utilizing assonance, different vowel sounds can also have different effects. The repetitive use of the “oo” sound in words can elongate a line of text making it sound somber or even melancholy. The short use of an “i” or “e” sound can make a line quicker paced and more energetic.

Assonance is considered more subtle than traditional rhyme and can be used more frequently while remaining less redundant than rhyming. However, this does not mean they should be used in every line as they, like any literary device, lose effectiveness if over used. 

Consonance is also nearly the same technique but instead of repeating vowel sounds, it involves repeating consonant sounds.

Related Posts

• The Purpose of Allusions in Film and Literature →
• How an Allegory Can Help Move a Story Forward →
• Why Every Story Needs a Protagonist (With Examples) →

Assonance examples in poetry

Assonance in poetry.

What is assonance in action? One of the most iconic poets, Edgar Allen Poe, frequently utilized this technique for the rhythm and musicality it brought to a line of text. In his poem “The Raven” (1845), Poe uses the technique in a similar structure in multiple consecutive lines to create a rhythm.

“Once upon a midnight dr ea ry, while I pondered, w ea k and w ea ry,

Over many a quaint and c u rious vol u me of forgotten lore —

While I nodded, nearly n a pping, suddenly there came a t a pping,

A s of some one gently r a pping, r a pping at my chamber door.”

Poe’s use of this technique is effective as it fits within a rhyme. Another iconic poet that uses this technique is Robert Frost. Let’s take a look at a segment of ‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost to analyze how assonance can be rhythmically used to lead up to a rhyme.

“He g i ves h i s harness bells a shake

To ask i f there i s some mistake.

The o nly o ther s o und’s the sweep

Of easy wind and down y flake.”

Assonance takes some thought and intentionality to be effective. The spacing of the words with the repetitive vowel sounds must be closer together to make the repetition more noticeable. As you can see from these assonance examples, it is extremely effective at making a line of text in poetry both rhythmic and memorable. But how is this technique used in more modern, popular culture? Let’s dive deeper into the assonance meaning and examples in pop culture.

Assonance examples

Assonance in popular culture.

In the realm of popular culture and music, assonance is commonly used in titles of movies and plays. One of the Coen brothers’ best films No Country for Old Men uses the “o” vowel sound resulting in an incredibly memorable title. The musical and film adaptation Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street uses assonance with the “ee” sound.

This technique even carries over into music, primarily in rap and hip hop. One of the masters of lyrical assonance is Eminem. His use of assonance gives every line a musicality and rhythm even if the lines lack an actual rhyme.

Check out this video that breaks down how Eminem uses assonance in the song “Patiently Waiting” and why it helps make his lyrics so great. 

What Is Assonance In Rap? Assonance examples

As you can see from some of the assonance examples we’ve examined in this article, it has been employed by writers of various mediums. If you are looking for a subtle way to incorporate rhythm into your poetry, film title, or even lyrics, this is a profoundly effective tool.

• What are Literary Devices? A Guide for Screenwriters →
• How Motifs Help Create Themes in Literature and Film →
• The Two Types of Foreshadowing in Literature and Film →

All the ways writers use alliteration

Assonance has a few literary cousins that are also used to create rhythm in text. One of those cousins is alliteration. In our next article, we break down the definition of alliteration and analyze a few examples from literature and film that will help spark inspiration for writers of all mediums.

Up Next: Alliteration Explained →

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Meaning of assonance in English

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• accommodation
• alliterative
• labiodental
• mispronounce
• postalveolar
• postconsonantal
• the International Phonetic Alphabet
• unpronounceable
• unrepeatable

assonance | Intermediate English

Examples of assonance, translations of assonance.

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What is Assonance? Definition, Examples of Assonance in Literature

Home » The Writer’s Dictionary » What is Assonance? Definition, Examples of Assonance in Literature

Definition of assonance: Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound that occurs in words that do not rhyme.

What Does Assonance Mean?

What is assonance? Assonance is created when non-rhyming words with similar vowel sounds are placed in close proximity to one another to create a rhythmic sound.

Assonance Examples:

• The short vowel sound of “i” repeats in the words bird and stirs to create assonance
• In this famous saying, the short vowel sound of “e” is repeated in fri en ds and en emies to create assonance.

Modern Examples of Assonance

The repetition of the sounds in these catchy phrases allows for them to be easily remembered.

• No, home = repetition of long “o”
• Mix, business = repetition of short “i”
• Cat, bag = repetition of short “a”

What is the Function of Assonance?

Assonance is used to create a rhythm with your words. One may choose to use this device when trying to create a pleasing sound with words in a way other than end rhyme. Because assonance is often associated with rhythm, poets tend to use this device more than other writers.

As with any literary device, assonance can be overused to the point where it loses its effect. Skilled writers and poets use such devices sparingly to maximize the effect in their prose.

Examples of Assonance in Literature

Example of Assonance in Poetry:

Edgar Allan Poe uses assonance to create rhythm in his poem “The Bells.”

• “How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle,/ In the icy air of night!/While the stars that oversprinkle/ All the heavens seem to twinkle/ With a crystalline delight;/ Keeping time, time, time,/ In a sort of Runic rhyme”

Here we have the repetition of the long “i” sound with several words: icy, night, while, crystalline, delight, time, rhyme

Langston Hughes develops a rhythm using assonance in his poem “Theme For English B.”

• “Well, I like to eat, sleep, drink, and be in love”

Here we see the repetition of the long “e” sound with the words eat, sleep, drink, and be .

Anne Sexton writes with assonance is her lyrical poem “Courage.”

• Later,/ when you face old age and its natural conclusion/ your courage will still be shown in the little ways”

First, we have the long “a” repetition: later, face, age, and ways . Second, we have the short “i” repetition: when, its, will, still, and little.

Finally, let’s look at a poem by Dr. Suess called “West Beast East Beast.”

Upon an island hard to reach, The East Beast sits upon his beach. Upon the west beach sits the West Beast. Each beach beast thinks he’s the best beast. Which beast is best?…Well, I thought at first, That the East was best and the West was worst. Then I looked again from the west to the east And I liked the beast on the east beach least.

In this poem, we see the repeated use of the ea sound in the words reach , east , beast , beach , each , least .

Test Your Knowledge: Exercise in Assonance

Which Sentence is the Best Example of Assonance?

• Sally sold seashells by the seashore.
• Nancy danced as though ants were in her pants.
• Jack and Jill went up the hill.

See answer below.

Define assonance in literature: Assonance is the repetition of similar or identical vowel sounds in neighboring words. By repeating these sounds, the writer is able to create a rhythm in his/her words.

Here’s a final example from William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 18”:

• “Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines”

Sometime, eye, and shine = repetition of the long “i”

Answer From Above:

The correct answer is: Nancy danced as though ants were in her pants.

Repeating the short “a” sound in the following words creates assonance: Nancy, danced, as, ants, and pants .

Assonance  Definition

Assonance takes place when two or more words, close to one another repeat the same vowel sound, but start with different consonant sounds.

For instance, in the following sentence:

 “M e n s e ll the w e dding b e lls.”

The same vowel sound of the short vowel “-e-” repeats itself in almost all the words, excluding the definite article. The words do share the same vowel sounds, but start with different consonant sounds – unlike alliteration , which involves repetition of the same consonant sounds. Below are a few assonance examples that are common.

Common Assonance Examples

• We l i ght f i re on the mountain.
• I feel depr e ssed and r e stl e
• G o and m o w the lawn.
• Johnny went here and th e re and everywh e
• The engin ee r held the st ee ring to st ee r the vehicle.

Brief Examples of Assonance

• “If I bl ea t when I sp ea k it’s because I just got . . . fl ee ” — Deadwood , by Al Swearengin
• “Those images that y et , Fresh images beg et , That dolphin-torn, that gong-tormented sea.” — Byzantium , by W. B. Yeats
• “Str i ps of t i nfoil winking like people” — The Bee Meeting by Sylvia Plath
• “I must conf ess that in my qu es t I felt depr ess ed and r es tl ess .” — With Love , by Thin Lizzy

Examples of Assonance in Literature

Assonance is primarily used in poetry, in order to add rhythm and music, by adding an internal rhyme to a poem . Let us look at some examples of assonance from literature:

Example #1: Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (By Robert Frost)

Try to recognize the use of assonance in Robert Frost’s poem Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening :

“He g i ves h i s harn e ss b e lls a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The onl y other sound’s the sw ee p Of eas y wind and down y flake. The woods are lovel y , dar and d ee p. But I have promises to keep, And miles to g o bef o re I sleep, And miles to g o bef o re I sleep.”

The underlined bold letters in the above extract are vowels that are repeated to create assonance.

Example #2: Early Moon (By Carl Sandburg)

Assonance sets the mood of a passage in Carl Sandburg’s  Early Moon :

“P o etry is old, ancient, g oe s back far. It is among the oldest of living things. S o old it is that n o man kn ow s how and why the first p o ems came.”

Notice how the long vowel, “o” , in the above extract, helps emphasize the idea of something being old and mysterious.

Example #3: Outer Dark (By Cormac McCarthy)

The sound of long vowels slows down the pace of a passage, setting an atmosphere that is grave and serious. Look at the following example from Cormac McCarthy’s Outer Dark :

“And stepping softly with her air of blooded ruin about the gl a de in a fr ai l agony of gr a ce she tr ai led her rags through dust and ashes, circling the dead fire, the charred billets and chalk bones, the little calcined ribc a ge.”

The repetition of the long vowel sound in the above passage lays emphasis on the frightening atmosphere that the writer wants to depict.

Example #4: Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night (By Dylan Thomas)

Similarly, we notice the use of long vowels in a passage from Dylan Thomas’ famous poem , Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night :

“Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and r a ve at close of d ay ; R a ge, r a ge, against the dying of the light. Gr a ve men, near death, who see with bl i nding s i ght, Blind eyes could bl a ze like meteors and be g ay , R a ge, r a ge against the dying of the light.”

The poet deliberately uses assonance in the above lines to slow down the pace of the poem , and to create a somber mood , as the subject of the poem is death.

Example #5: Daffodils (By William Wordsworth)

William Wordsworth employs assonance to create an internal rhyme in his poem Daffodils :

“I wandered l o nely as a cloud That fl oa ts on high o ‘er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A h o st, of g o lden daff o dils; Beside the lake, ben ea th the tr ee s, Fluttering and dancing in the br ee ze…”

Example #6: The Feast of Famine (By Robert Louis Stevenson)

“From folk that sat on the terrace and drew out the even long Sudden crowings of laughter, monotonous drone of song; The quiet passage of souls over his head in the trees; And from all around the haven the crumbling thunder of seas.” Farewell, my home,” said Rua. “Farewell, O quiet seat! To-morrow in all your valleys the drum of death shall beat.”

This is a good example of assonance, in which almost all the lines contain one example of assonance. All the examples have been written in bold. In the first line, the /a/ sound has been repeated. In the second line, the /o/ sound, as in dog , has been repeated. In the third line, the /o/ sound as in go has been repeated. In fourth line, /ʌ/ as in must has been repeated. In the fifth line, the /a/ sound as in air , and the /e/ sound, as in ten have been repeated. In the sixth line, the long /e/ sound, as in sheep has been repeated.

Example #7: When I have Hears (By John Keats)

“When I have fears that I may cease to be Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain, Before high-piled books, in charactery, Hold like rich garners the full ripened grain …”

This excerpt has been taken from John Keats’ sonnet , When I Have Fears . The first line exhibits repetition of the long /i/ sound, as in tripe . The second line again contains the same long /i/ sound. The fourth line repeats /ai/ sound as in bye .

Example #8: The Master (By Edgar Allan Poe)

“And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating` ‘Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door – Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door; ” This it is, and nothing more.”

The Master , by Edgar Allan Poe, is teeming with the examples of assonance. The first line repeats the /ur/ sound, as in bird . The second line starts with the repetition of the short /i/ sound, and ends with the repetition of the short /e/ sound. The fourth line repeats the long /i/ sound twice. The third line has a short /i/ sound twice. The last line has again short /i/ sound repeated four times.

Function of Assonance

Similar to any other literary device, assonance has a very important role to play in both poetry and prose . Writers use it as a tool to enhance a musical effect in the text by using it for creating internal rhyme . This consequently enhances the pleasure of reading a literary piece. In addition, it helps writers to develop a particular mood in the text that corresponds with its subject matter.

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Assonance: Definition, Meaning, and Examples

Assonance is a common literary device that deals with vowel sound repetition.

It’s closely related to rhymes, and rhymes usually feature some assonance, but they are not the same thing.

You probably know tons of assonance examples without even realizing. So, what is assonance? Why should we know about it as writers?

Today, we’re taking a deep dive into this often-used but underrated literary device .

Assonance Definition

Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds. It comes from the Latin word assonare , which means “to answer with the same sound.”

Immediately, you might think of words like “clock” and “rock,” or “ham” and “jam.” While these are accurate examples, assonance goes much deeper than words that rhyme.

Assonance only requires the repetition of similar vowel sounds, and they can occur anywhere within the words.

The words do not have to have the same consonant sounds, nor do they have to end with the same sounds.

Let’s take a look at some word pairs using assonance:

• S o me m u d
• S i t, Ch i p!
• L ea ping chimpanz ee s

Each of these examples feature assonance, but they do not have the same consonant sounds.

The first example has assonance of the short /u/ sound. Notice that “some” does not have the letter u . It only has the /uh/ sound.

The second example’s assonance appears in the short /i/ sound. In this case, both “sit” and “Chip” have the same letter, but this is not a requirement for assonance.

In the last example, the two words are longer and the assonance is not in the same syllable.

In real world examples, this is usually how assonance appears. The first syllable of “leaping” and the last syllable of “chimpanzees” use the long /e/ sound.

Assonance doesn’t only appear in word pairs. In fact, assonance often appears in several words within a phrase or sentence.

We’ll cover more in-depth examples from literature and poetry later in this article. For now, you have a working understanding of what assonance is.

Assonance as a Poetic Device

We often think of poetry as rhyming, but non-rhyming poetry is also common. Assonance is one of several poetic devices used in all types of poetry.

Non-rhyming poetry usually uses the repeating vowel sounds of assonance to create rhythm.

Often, poems feature several examples of assonance. Poets will frequently mix long vowel sounds and short vowel sounds that repeat.

Assonance Meaning

There are four common rhetorical devices that involve phonetic sounds. They can all be used together or used separately.

These literary devices are:

• Alliteration

To truly understand assonance, you must know the difference between these four terms.

Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in a word (e.g. ha ck y sa ck ). A written work can contain both consonance and assonance.

Alliteration is the repeating vowel or consonant sounds at the beginning of words (e.g. “To s it in s olemn s ilence”).

Rhyme is when two or more words end in assonance or consonance (e.g. lau ghter in the ra fter s).

Note that with assonance, as well as the other literary devices mentioned, it’s the consonant or vowel sounds that are important, not the exact same vowels or consonants.

In other words, any long /a/ sound that repeats is assonance, whether it’s an /ay/ or an /a-consonant-e/ pattern, as in “gray” and “pace.”

Assonance in Poetry

Assonance occurs commonly in poetry, especially in non-rhyming poetry. It’s a great rhetorical device to promote rhythm and lyricism.

Here are two assonance examples in poetry. The emphasis is added to show the occurrences of assonance.

May-Flower by Emily Dickinson

Pink, small, and punctual, Ar o matic, l o w, Covert in April, C a ndid in M a y, Dear to the moss, Kn o wn by the kn o ll, Next to the robin In every human soul. Bold little beauty, B e decked with th ee , N a ture forsw ea rs Ant i q ui ty.

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Assonance in Literature

Assonance is often thought of as a less common device in literature.

Truthfully, however, it appears accidentally all the time. That’s because writers often create sentences that sound good without paying attention to why!

Here are a few assonance examples in literature.

This first example is from Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. He uses the short /i/ sound repeatedly. How many instances can you count in this sentence?

Soft language issued from their spitless lips as they swished in low circles round and round the field, winding hither and thither through the weeds…

In this example from To Kill a Mockingbird , Harper Lee uses the repetition of the short /e/ sound, then switches to consonance:

When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

Here’s an example of assonance from William Faulkner’s Absalom, Absalom! that uses the repetition of the short /o/ .

So it took Charles Bon and his mother to get rid of old Tom, and Charles Bon and the octoroon to get rid of Judith, and Charles Bon and Clytie to get rid of Henry; and Charles Bon’s mother and Charles Bon’s grandmother got rid of Charles Bon.

Finally, let’s look at Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney:

I never heard before of a ship so well furbished with battle tackle; No wise man in hall or weathered veteran; Asleep from their feasting; They wept to heaven…

Consider how battle tackle , weathered veteran , asleep… feasting, and wept… heaven repeat vowel sounds, drawing your ear and attention to the word choices.

Beowulf is famous for its cadence and sounds, and this translation uses assonance to mimic the original sounds of Old English.

Examples of Assonance in Sentences

Let’s take a look at some common sayings and proverbs that include assonance to make them memorable, without resorting to rhyme.

• The squ ea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se. This common saying uses the long e sound (phonetic symbol /i/ ) to focus readers’ attention. Notice the words don’t rhyme because the consonants at the end are different.
• The ea rly b i rd catches the w o rm. This often-used proverb repeats the bolded vowel sound to capture readers’ awareness.

Also, notice that not every word has to include the same assonant vowel sound.

Depending on how you pronounce “the,” three to five of the six words in the first example use assonance. In the second example, only “early,” “bird,” and “worm” use assonance.

Assonance Conclusion

Assonance was a common rhetorical device in Old English. The literature during this era was lyrical and songlike.

We still use assonance today for the same reasons, although often with less intention.

Assonance serves several purposes in writing. First, any sort of repetition of sounds, whether it’s assonance, consonance, alliteration, or rhyme, adds emphasis to our sentences.

If you are looking for a way to emphasize something, can you add some assonance to your work? Open your thesaurus and find some synonyms to add a little lyrical flare.

Or, speed up the process by using ProWritingAid’s Thesaurus Report .

When you run the report, you can hover over any adjectives , verbs , nouns , or adverbs in your text to see contextually relevant synonyms.

Assonance can also speed up or slow down a sentence, depending on the length of the words and sentences you are using.

This means that with some repetitive vowel sounds, you can impact the pacing of your writing. Check out ProWritingAid’s Pacing Tool for more ways to improve your pacing.

Most importantly, assonance is memorable because it affects the rhythm of writing. Challenge yourself to add some assonance to your own work! It can be a lot of fun.

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General Education

Analyzing literature can be pretty confusing, especially if you’re reading something that’s pretty complicated. That’s why it’s important to understand literary devices , which are tools designed to help you unlock the meaning of a text.

Think of literary devices like tools in a toolbox. Each device has a different use, so it’s important that you have a bunch of different options to choose from...especially when you’re crunched for time, like during an AP Literature exam.

That’s why we’re going to teach you everything you need to know about assonance, which is a literary device that helps a writer create both rhythm and tone. To do this, we’ll:

• Define assonance and talk about why it’s helpful in analyzing literature,
• Walk you through assonance examples in poetry and prose, and
• Give you four expert tips to help you find an analyze assonance in any text.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

What Is Assonance: Definition and Meaning

What is assonance, exactly? Luckily, the assonance definition is pretty straightforward! Assonance is defined as the repetition of similar vowel sounds within words, phrases, or sentences. (Remember that vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y.) When the same vowel sound is repeated multiple times in close proximity, you’ve found assonance.

The best way to understand how assonance works is to see it in action. Let’s look at the following sentence:

Read this sentence a few times. What vowel sound do you hear repeatedly? The answer: the long "e" sound (which you hear in words like “eek” and “creek”). Here’s the sentence again where we’ve bolded the repeated vowel sounds:

Th e squ ea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se.

As you can see, the long "e" sound repeats four times in the line, which is a textbook example of assonance!

Want another example? Check out this clip from My Fair Lady, which has a whole song that revolves around assonance:

Did you hear the assonance in the line, “the r ai n in Sp ai n st ay s m ai nly in the pl ai n”?  Eliza Doolittle really helps that long “a” vowel sound shine!

How Does Assonance Help You Analyze Literature?

Now that you know what assonance is, you’re probably wondering how it helps you analyze literature. There are three major ways assonance works: by creating rhythm, drawing attention to specific words, and by shaping the tone —or feeling—of the work.

How Assonance Creates Rhythm

Because assonance involves repetition, it can be used to create rhythm. This is especially important in poetry, where the rhythm often affects the meaning of the poem. Take these lines from Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven,” for instance:

On the pall i d bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

There’s quite a bit of assonance here, especially with the short “i” sound, which we’ve highlighted in bold above. The assonance gives the poem a drumming, march-like rhythm that mimics the terrified pounding of the speaker’s heart!

How Assonance Draws Attention to Specific Words

Secondly, the repetitive nature of assonance draws the reader’s attention to those words and phrases. In some cases, it can be the equivalent of the writer waving a red flag at the reader, signalling that there’s something important going on in that part of the text.

Let’s look at the first two lines of William Wordsworth’s “Daffodils” to see this in action:

That fl oa ts on high o 'er vales and hills,

Here, the assonance is in the long “o” sound, and it draws your attention to an important simile in the poem. In this comparison, the speaker imagines himself as a “lonely” cloud that “floats” high “o’er” the landscape. Through assonance, the speaker reveals that he sees himself as separate and isolated from the world around him.

How Assonance Shapes Tone and Meaning

Writers also use assonance to help create tones, or feelings, in their work. By stringing together different words and vowel sounds, writers can evoke everything from happiness to fear. Here’s an example of this at work in Dylan Thomas’ “Do not go gentle into that good night”:

R a ge, r a ge, ag ai nst the dying of the light

To see how this creates a tone, try reading this passage out loud. The assonance of the long “a” makes you emphasize the sound as you read it, especially since those are also stressed syllables. (Not sure what a stressed syllable is? Check out our guide to iambic pentameter.) The assonance makes these lines sound forceful, which adds to the lines’ insistent—almost desperate—tone.

When it comes to poetry, determining a poem’s tones is an important step to uncovering the work’s themes and messages. In the case of Thomas’ poem, the tone of these lines helps us understand how Thomas feels about death. For him, death isn’t something a person should accept passively—they should fight against it and embrace life as long as possible .

So in this instance assonance helps us determine the poem’s tone, which in turn leads us to one of the poem’s major themes!

Assonance Examples in Poetry

Assonance is a pretty common literary device in poetry, especially because it helps poets shape a work’s rhythm, rhyme, tone, and theme. Let’s read one more poem to see how assonance examples help us analyze a poem and its themes.

“The World Is Too Much With Us” by William Wordsworth

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers; Little we see in Nature that is ours; We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon! This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon, The winds that will be howling at all hours, And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers, For this, for everything, we are out of tune; It moves us not. —Great God! I'd rather be A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn; So might I, standing on this pleasant lea, Have glimpses that would make me less f o rl o rn; Have sight o f Pr o teus rising fr o m the sea; O r hear o ld Trit o n bl o w his wreathèd h o rn.

When you analyze a full poem, there’s a good chance that assonance will only occur in certain parts of the work (rather than from start to finish). So don’t panic if you only find assonance in a few lines. Remember that assonance is often used to draw your attention to a specific moment or set of words, so just think of it as a clue to read that section a little closer.

In Wordsworth’s poem , assonance occurs in the very beginning of the poem with the long “a” and at the end of the poem with the long “o”. Let’s take a closer look at the poem’s last three lines:  

Have sight o f Pr o teus rising fr o m the sea; O r hear o ld Trit o n bl o w his wreathèd h o rn.

This poem is about how people have become too enmeshed with civilization (that focuses on “getting and spending”) and have lost touch with nature. The assonance in last lines emphasize the poem’s theme and help reinforce the piece’s tone. The long “o” adds a mournful sound to the concluding lines, which reiterates the forlorn tone of the poem. The assonance also reinforces the speaker’s opinion that the way of the past is better than life in the present. By mentioning Proteus and Triton , two Greek gods, the speaker highlights how the modernization of the world has caused it to lose more than its connection to nature: it’s lost its wonder and mystery, too.

Assonance Examples in Prose

While assonance is most common in poetry, you can also find assonance in prose. I n prose works like novels, short stories, and nonfiction, authors use assonance to make their work more vivid. It helps their ideas leap off the page, and it creates tones and feelings that resonate with readers (just like in poetry)!

Here’s an assonance example in literature that demonstrates how it can work outside of poetry.

Example : A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce

James Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man tells the story of the religious and intellectual awakening of Stephen Dedalus, a young man who values beauty and art. Throughout the book, Stephen questions and rebels against the Catholic and Irish conventions of his childhood, and he eventually leaves Ireland for Europe. 

Given Stephen’s love of art, it’s no surprise that the book often relies on poetic techniques to tell his story. Joyce often uses assonance, which we see in the following line:

The assonance here comes from the repetition of the short “i,” which occurs eight times in this one sentence! The assonance mimics the sound of whispering, which helps readers experience the “soft language” Joyce is writing about. Assonance causes this sentence to swish “in low circles round” the reader, too—which adds to the seductive tone of this short passage.

4 Expert Tips for Analyzing Assonance

Now that you know what assonance is, here are a few expert tips to help you find assonance and use it to analyze literature like a pro!

Tip 1: Read It Out Loud

Assonance is something you hear, rather than something you see. While you can look for similar vowels in words, English is a strange language where pronunciation can vary wildly, even when spelling is almost identical. Take “laughter” and “slaughter,” for example. Add one letter...and the pronunciation becomes insanely different!

By reading a poem out loud or listening to a recording of it, it becomes a lot easier to find the repetition of vowel sounds. It also is a lot easier to discern how assonance affects the poem’s rhyme, rhythm, and emphasis. Trust us: reading a poem out loud is the best way to find assonance!

Tip 2: Look at How Assonance Affects How a Passage Sounds

Once you’ve found the assonance, it’s time to think about how it affects the text you’re reading. One way to do this is to start thinking about how assonance contributes to how the passage and/or poem is read . Does it create short, staccato sounds or long, mournful ones? How do these sounds help show readers what the poem is about?

For instance, when assonance happens in short words right next to each other (like “the hard, stark markings on the car assembly line…”) can mimic the sound of factory, whereas longer, spread out assonance (the cool breeze moved along hills and moors) echoes the peacefulness of a breezy day!  

Tip 3: Examine the Word Choice

Assonance only exists if a poet chooses a specific word that contains the same vowel sound as another word . That means each word in an assonant passage is important! T ake a minute to examine the words the poet chooses. Are they related to each other in any way? Pull out a dictionary and look up each word. Along with their definition, do the words have connotative, or implied, meanings that change the way you might interpret the passage? How would using a synonym change the meaning of that line? Investigating why a writer uses the words he does--and paying close attention to what those words mean--can help you uncover a poem’s important themes.

Tip 4: Consider How Assonance Shapes the Poem as a Whole

Look at passage, section, sentence, or line that contains the assonance. Like we mentioned before, assonance is often a way for authors to signal that a specific part of their work is important. Keeping that in mind, ask yourself what you think the purpose of that passage is in the overall scheme of the poem . What is the poet saying in this passage? Does it come at a key moment or an important turning point? Often, poets use assonance to make a point, so there’s a good chance they’re using assonance to communicate a specific message or idea!  

Remember: the best toolbox is a full toolbox. That’s why it’s important to understand more literary devices than just assonance! Here’s a list of the literary devices everyone should know and another in-depth guide to get you started.

If you’re getting ready for the AP Literature exam—and you probably are!— it’s a good idea understand what’s on the test before you take it. That’s why we’ve put together an expert guide to the AP Literature exam that tells you everything you need to know to ace it!

One of the most intimidating parts of the AP exam is the written portion, which requires you to use books you’ve read to answer essay prompts. But which books should you read to prepare? Check out this list of the best books to read for the AP Literature exam to help you build the best reading list possible.

Need more help with this topic? Check out Tutorbase!

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Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Understanding Assonance: Definition, Examples, and Usage

What is assonance, how to identify assonance, examples of assonance, how to use assonance effectively, why assonance matters in literature.

Have you ever read a poem, a song lyric or a piece of prose, and noticed a certain melody to it, a rhythm that made the words flow smoothly? That's often due to a literary technique called assonance. In this blog, we're going to explore the definition of assonance, how you can spot it, examples of it, and why it's such a vital tool in literature.

Let's start by understanding the basic definition of assonance. Assonance is a literary device where the same vowel sounds are repeated in a line or passage of text, but with different ending consonants. This creates a sort of musical effect that can give language a pleasing rhythm. It's a subtle technique, but it can add a lot to a piece of writing.

Assonance and Poetry

Assonance is often found in poetry. The repeated vowel sounds can help create a flow in the poem, making it more enjoyable to read or listen to. Here's an example:

"Do you like blue? True blue, through and through?"

In this example, the 'oo' sound is repeated, which gives the line a rhythmic quality. This type of repetition is exactly what we mean when we talk about assonance.

Assonance and Prose

But assonance isn't just for poetry — it's also used in prose, like novels and short stories. Here, the aim is often to create a particular mood or atmosphere. Let's look at an example:

"The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain."

In this sentence, the 'ai' sound is repeated. This creates a sort of musical rhythm, and it also ties the sentence together, making it feel more cohesive.

Assonance and Songs

Finally, you'll also find assonance in songs. Songwriters use assonance to make their lyrics more catchy and memorable. Here's an example from the Beatles:

"In the town where I was born, lived a man who sailed to sea."

Here, the 'o' sound is repeated in 'born', 'who', and 'to'. This repetition makes the line more melodious, and helps to stick in your mind.

So, that's a quick exploration of the definition of assonance, and how it's used in different types of writing. Next, we'll look at how you can identify assonance in a text.

Now that we know the definition of assonance, let's dive into how to spot it in the wild. Identifying assonance can be a little tricky at first, but with some practice, you'll be able to pick it out with ease.

Listen to the Sound

Remember, assonance is all about vowel sounds. So, the first step to identifying assonance is to really listen to the words. Read the text out loud, or in your head, and pay attention to the sounds of the vowels. Do you notice any that are repeated?

Look at the Spelling

Assonance doesn't always depend on the spelling of words. Two words can have completely different spellings but produce the same vowel sound. For example, 'sea' and 'be' are different in spelling, but share the same 'ee' sound. That's assonance!

Check the Consonants

Lastly, make sure the repeated vowel sounds are not followed by the same consonant sounds. If they are, that's not assonance — it's rhyme. For example, 'cat' and 'bat' rhyme, they don't create assonance. But 'cat' and 'dad' do, because they share the same 'a' sound with different ending consonants.

So, there you have it! By listening to the sound, looking at the spelling, and checking the consonants, you can start to identify assonance in any piece of text. Remember, practice makes perfect, so don't worry if you don't get it right away. Keep trying, and soon you'll be spotting assonance wherever you go!

Seeing the definition of assonance in action can make it easier to understand. Let's dive into some examples that will help illustrate this beautiful literary device.

Assonance in Poetry

Poetry often uses assonance to create a lyrical, musical effect. Take this line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner": "The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew."

• The 'air' sound in 'fair' and 'breeze' and the 'oo' sound in 'blew' and 'flew' are examples of assonance.

Assonance in Prose

Prose writers also use assonance to add rhythm and flow to their sentences. Consider this line from F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby": "In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars."

• The repeated 'i' sound in 'whisperings' and 'champagne' and the 'a' sound in 'gardens' and 'stars' are both examples of assonance.

Assonance in Music

Music, especially song lyrics, frequently uses assonance. Consider these lines from The Beatles' "Let It Be": "And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree, there will be an answer, let it be."

• The 'ee' sound in 'people', 'agree', 'be', and 'let it be' is a clear example of assonance.

These examples show that assonance is everywhere — in poetry, prose, and music. Noticing it can enrich your understanding of language and enhance your appreciation for the art of words.

Now that we've seen some examples, let's talk about how you can use assonance to make your own writing more engaging and musical.

Choose the Right Sounds

The first step in using assonance effectively is choosing the right sounds to repeat. These should be sounds that fit the mood or tone of your piece. For instance:

• If you're writing a cheerful, upbeat piece, you might choose to repeat light, high vowel sounds, like 'ee' or 'i'.
• If you're writing a dark, serious piece, you might choose to repeat deeper, more somber vowel sounds, like 'o' or 'u'.

Don't Overdo It

Just like with any other literary device, it's important not to overuse assonance. Too much can make your writing seem overdone or forced. Aim for a balance.

Use it for Emphasis

Assonance can be a great way to emphasize important points in your writing. By repeating vowel sounds in key phrases, you can make those phrases stand out and stick in the reader's mind.

Assonance can be a powerful tool in your writing toolbox. Used well, it can add a level of depth and beauty to your work that sets it apart. So, don't be afraid to experiment with it in your own writing!

So, we've understood the definition of assonance and its usage. But why does it matter in literature? Why do writers go out of their way to include this poetic device in their works?

Creates a Musical Effect

One of the main reasons is that assonance can create a musical effect in written text. This musicality can make a piece more enjoyable to read or listen to. It's like adding a catchy tune to your words. It's why nursery rhymes and songs often use assonance — to make them more memorable and fun!

Reinforces Meaning

But assonance doesn't just make writing sound good — it can also reinforce meaning. By repeating sounds, a writer can emphasize important themes or ideas in their work. This can make a piece of writing more resonant and impactful.

Enhances Mood and Tone

Finally, the specific sounds repeated through assonance can help set the mood or tone of a piece. Bright, sharp vowel sounds can create an uplifting tone, while deep, rounded vowel sounds can create a more somber or serious tone. In this way, assonance can help a writer convey not just what they're saying, but how they're saying it.

In short, assonance matters in literature because it adds richness and depth to writing. It's a tool that writers use to make their work more engaging, meaningful, and expressive. So next time you read a book or poem, keep an eye out for assonance — and appreciate the skill that went into crafting it!

If you enjoyed this blog post on assonance and want to explore more ways to enhance your storytelling through creative techniques, you might find the workshop ' Indie Film Composing: Storytelling In Music ' by Daisy Coole relevant. Though focused on music and film composing, the workshop delves into the power of storytelling, which can be applied to various creative fields, including writing and poetry. Broaden your creative horizons by learning how to tell captivating stories through different mediums.

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Assonance Definition and Examples

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Assonance is the repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in neighboring words (as in "f i sh and ch i ps" and "b a d m a n"). Adjective: assonant .

Assonance is a method of achieving emphasis and cohesion in a short stretch of text.

Assonance is closely associated with internal rhyme . However, assonance differs from rhyme in that rhyme usually involves both vowel and consonant sounds.

Etymology From the Latin, "sound"

Examples of Assonance

• "If I bleat when I speak it's because I just got . . . fleeced." (Al Swearengen in Deadwood , 2004)
• "A heart no bigger than an orange seed has ceased to beat." (James Salter, "Am Strande von Tanger." Collected Stories . Pan Macmillan, 2013)
• "It beats . . . as it sweeps . . . as it cleans!" (advertising slogan for Hoover vacuum cleaners, 1950s)
• "Those images that yet Fresh images beget, That dolphin-torn, that gong-tormented sea." (W.B. Yeats, "Byzantium")
• "He was soon borne away by the waves, and lost in darkness and distance." (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein , 1818)
• "He diagnosed Camilla's difficulty as indigestion, and locked himself in his cabin." (William Gaddis, The Recognitions . Harcourt Brace & Company, 1955)
• " Soft language issued from their spitless lips as they swished in low circles round and round the field, winding hither and thither through the weeds, dragging their long tails amid the rattling canisters." (James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man , 1916)
• "The spider skins lie on their sides, translucent and ragged, their legs drying in knots." (Annie Dillard, Holy the Firm , 1977)
• "Flash with a rash gimme my cash flickin' my ash Runnin with my money, son, go out with a blast." (Busta Rhymes, "Gimme Some More," 1998)
• "The law may not change the heart, but it can restrain the heartless." (Martin Luther King, Jr., address to the National Press Club on July 19, 1962)
• "But at supper that evening when I asked him to pass the damn ham, please, Uncle Jack pointed at me. 'See me afterwards, young lady,' he said." (Harper Lee,  To Kill a Mockingbird , 1960)
• "Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage, against the dying of the light. . . . Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light." (Dylan Thomas, "Do not go gentle into that good night")
• "The setting sun was licking the hard bright machine like some great invisible beast on its knees." (John Hawkes, Death, Sleep, and the Traveler , 1974)
• "I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless." (Thin Lizzy, "With Love")
• "I call her a ghastly girl because she was a ghastly girl. . . . A droopy, soupy, sentimental exhibit, with melting eyes and a cooing voice and the most extraordinary views on such things as stars and rabbits." (P.G. Wodehouse, The Code of the Woosters , 1938)
• "In the over-mastering loneliness of that moment, his whole life seemed to him nothing but vanity." (Robert Penn Warren, Night Rider , 1939)
• "A lanky, six-foot, pale boy with an active Adam's apple, ogling Lo and her orange-brown bare midriff, which I kissed five minutes later, Jack." (Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita , 1955)
• "Strips of tinfoil winking like people" (Sylvia Plath, "The Bee Meeting")
• "The moon, like a flower In heaven's high bower, With silent delight, Sits and smiles on the night." (William Blake, "Night." Songs of Innocence , 1789)

Observations

• " Assonance , (or medial rime) is the agreement in the vowel sounds of two or more words, when the consonant sounds preceding and following these vowels do not agree. Thus, strike and grind , hat and man , 'rime' with each other according to the laws of assonance." (J.W. Bright, Elements of English Versification , 1910)
• "Beware of excessive assonance . Any assonance that draws attention to itself is excessive." (John Earle, A Simple Grammar of English , 1898)
• "The terms alliteration , assonance , and rhyme identify kinds of recurring sound that in practice are often freely mixed together. . . . It may not be easy or useful to decide where one stops and another starts." (Tom McArthur, The Oxford Companion to the English Language , 1992)
• "Rhyme, alliteration, assonance , and consonance combined often produce tongue-twisting linguistics. Big Punisher's 'Twinz' includes this couplet . . .: 'Dead in the middle of little Italy / Little did we know that we riddled a middle man who didn't know diddly.' . . . Keying in on a single sound, he runs a staggering series of rhyme variations ('middle,' 'little,' 'riddled,' 'middle,' 'diddly'), which he further builds upon with consonance ( d ) and assonance ( i ) and alliteration ( d and l ). This is what happens when a poet is in complete control of his rhymes." (Adam Bradley, Book of Rhymes: The Poetics of Hip Hop . BasicCivitas, 2009)

Pronunciation: ASS-a-nins

Also Known As: medial rhyme (or rime), inexact rhyme

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What is Assonance in Literature? Definition, Examples of Literary Assonance

Assonance is a figure of speech in which the repetition of a vowel sound in non-rhyming words within a rapid succession to one another.

What is Assonance?

Assonance occurs when two or more words that occur in close proximity to one another repeat the same vowel sound. This vowel sound can be found inside the word, at the beginning, or at the very end.

For example , the engin ee r held the st ee ring wh ee l to st ee r the truck.

It is also important to note that assonance refers to the sounds that letters make, not the letters themselves. Assonance occurs when when words are close enough for the repetition of the sounds to be noticeable, but it is okay if they are not directly next to one another.

Consider another example : Can y ou get on the comp u ter and look up where we could buy some bl ue t u na? Or is it t oo s oo n in fishing season?

Popular Examples of Assonance

Assonance can be found in any type of writing or communicating. It is commonly used in lyrics and poetry but is found in prose as well.

In terms of common speech, here are a few examples:

• The ea rly b i rd catches the w or m
• The sq uea ky wh ee l gets the gr ea se

Assonance is a common tool in song lyrics because it naturally adds rhythm and can help with rhyming. Consider a couple of popular examples:

• “I must conf ess that in my q ues t, I felt depr ess ed and r es tl ess ” – Thin Lizzy
• “I’ll drown my bel ie fs to have your bab ie I’ll dress like your n ie ce and wash your swollen f ee t.” – Radiohead

In the Radiohead example, notice how assonance is used to mimic rhyming. The rhyme structure is almost there but instead, assonance allows to lyrics to be less rigidly structured while still creating an equally effective rhythm. In poetry, assonance helps a lot in this way.

The Purpose of Assonance

Assonance is equally as important in both poetry and prose. In any type of writing or communication that can benefit from some rhythmic structure, assonance will help to achieve that. Writers use assonance as a tool that enhances the lyrical quality of words which can help them be remembered or lend artistry to what is being expressed. Consequently, assonance helps bring pleasure to reading and/or listening to words.

In addition to aesthetic value, assonance can also help a writer establish mood. Repeating sounds of any type are commonly used to both establish and maintain mood. For example, if the mood should be gloomy, a writer may use a repetition of “gloomy sounding” words.

In contemporary poetry, the trend has been to move away from traditional rhyme and meter schemes and to uphold poetic quality in other ways. Assonance, consonance, and alliteration are all devices that use repetition to create effect and are all heavily used by contemporary poets in order to artistically create rhythm outside of traditional structures.

Assonance Examples in Literature

Below are some common examples of assonance in important literary works, both prose and poetry.

In Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” mood is established throughout with the help of assonance. The mood of this poem is generally heavy and morbid and the sounds that Poe uses throughout help to establish that in an artistic way. Notice the repetition of sounds like the /ur/ sounds, short /i/ sounds, and short /e/ sounds.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me – filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating

“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door –

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;

This it is, and nothing more.”

In this example from Absalom, Absalom by William Faulkner , the assonance comes from the repetition of the last name “Bon” and helps to both reinforce this character’s significance to the story while also hinting at an important thematic contrast between this character whose name is French for “good” and his actions:

So it took Charles Bon and his mother to get rid of old Tom, and Charles Bon and the octoroon to get rid of Judith, and Charles Bon and Clytie to get rid of Henry; and Charles Bon’s mother and Charles Bon’s grandmother got rid of Charles Bon.

In Homer’s epic poem The Iliad , the Lattimore English translation uses assonance with soft /i/ sounds to emphasize the lulling effects of the wind in the reader’s mind:

When Zeus of the counsels, showing before men what shafts he possesses, brings on a snowstorm and stills the winds asleep in the solid drift, enshrouding the peaks that tower among the mountains and the shoulders out-jutting, and the low lands with their grasses, and the prospering work of men’s hands, and the drift falls along the grey sea, the harbours and beaches, and the surf that breaks against it is stilled, and all things elsewhere it shrouds from above, with the burden of Zeus’ rain heavy upon it…

Exercise in Assonance

The following three sentences contain repetition of sounds. Which one uses assonance, in particular?

• She sells seashells by the seashore.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• We struck a streak of bad luck.

Recap: What is Assonance in Literature?

Assonance is a literary tool in which the repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words creates a rhythmic effect. This repetition can occur anywhere in a word as long as the words are close enough to one another for the effect to be noticeable. Assonance can be used to create artistry, establish mood, and mimic rhyming.

Assonance Definition Assonance takes place whilst or extra words, close to each other repeat the same vowel sound, but start with specific consonant sounds. For instance, inside the following sentence: “Men sell the marriage bells.” The equal vowel sound of the short vowel “-e-” repeats itself in almost all of the words, except the specific article. The words do share the same vowel sounds, however start with distinctive consonant sounds – in contrast to alliteration, which includes repetition of the same consonant sounds. Below are a few assonance examples which can be common. Common Assonance Examples We mild fire at the mountain. I experience depressed and restle Go and mow the lawn. Johnny went here and there and everywhe The engineer held the steering to influence the vehicle. Brief Examples of Assonance “If I bleat when I communicate it’s due to the fact I just got . . . Flee” — Deadwood, by using Al Swearengin “Those pix that yet, Fresh images beget, That dolphin-torn, that gong-tormented sea.” — Byzantium, with the aid of W. B. Yeats “Strips of tinfoil winking like people” — The Bee Meeting by way of Sylvia Plath “I must confess that in my quest I felt depressed and restless.” — With Love, by using Thin Lizzy Examples of Assonance in Literature Assonance is basically utilized in poetry, on the way to add rhythm and music, by using including an inner rhyme to a poem. Let us observe some examples of assonance from literature: Example #1: Stopping with the aid of Woods on a Snowy Evening (By Robert Frost) Try to recognize using assonance in Robert Frost’s poem Stopping with the aid of Woods on a Snowy Evening: “He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is a few mistake. The simplest different sound’s the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dar and deep. But I even have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to pass before I sleep.” The underlined ambitious letters in the above extract are vowels that are repeated to create assonance. Example #2: Early Moon (By Carl Sandburg) Assonance sets the mood of a passage in Carl Sandburg’s Early Moon: “Poetry is vintage, ancient, goes returned far. It is the various oldest of residing things. So old it's far that no man is aware of how and why the first poems came.” Notice how the lengthy vowel, “o”, inside the above extract, enables emphasize the concept of some thing being vintage and mysterious. Example #3: Outer Dark (By Cormac McCarthy) The sound of lengthy vowels slows down the tempo of a passage, putting an environment this is grave and serious. Look at the following example from Cormac McCarthy’s Outer Dark: “And stepping softly with her air of blooded ruin about the glade in a frail ache of grace she trailed her rags through dirt and ashes, circling the dead fire, the charred billets and chalk bones, the little calcined ribcage.” The repetition of the long vowel sound inside the above passage lays emphasis at the frightening atmosphere that the writer desires to depict. Example #4: Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night (By Dylan Thomas) Similarly, we notice the use of lengthy vowels in a passage from Dylan Thomas’ famous poem, Do Not Go Gentle into the Good Night: “Do not go gentle into that suitable night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage, towards the loss of life of the mild. Grave men, close to loss of life, who see with blinding sight, Blind eyes may want to blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage towards the dying of the mild.” The poet deliberately uses assonance within the above traces to sluggish down the pace of the poem, and to create a somber temper, as the subject of the poem is death. Example #5: Daffodils (By William Wordsworth) William Wordsworth employs assonance to create an inner rhyme in his poem Daffodils: “I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on excessive o‘er vales and hills, When unexpectedly I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing within the breeze…” Example #6: The Feast of Famine (By Robert Louis Stevenson) “From folk that sat at the terrace and drew out the even lengthy Sudden crowings of laughter, monotonous drone of song; The quiet passage of souls over his head inside the trees; And from all around the haven the crumbling thunder of seas.” Farewell, my home,” stated Rua. “Farewell, O quiet seat! To-morrow in all your valleys the drum of loss of life shall beat.” This is a superb instance of assonance, in which nearly all of the lines include one instance of assonance. All the examples have been written in formidable. In the primary line, the /a/ sound has been repeated. In the second line, the /o/ sound, as in dog, has been repeated. In the 0.33 line, the /o/ sound as in move has been repeated. In fourth line, /ʌ/ as in should has been repeated. In the 5th line, the /a/ sound as in air, and the /e/ sound, as in ten had been repeated. In the sixth line, the lengthy /e/ sound, as in sheep has been repeated. Example #7: When I even have Hears (By John Keats) “When I even have fears that I may give up to be Before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain, Before high-piled books, in charactery, Hold like wealthy garners the overall ripened grain …” This excerpt has been taken from John Keats’ sonnet, When I Have Fears. The first line reveals repetition of the long /i/ sound, as in tripe. The 2nd line again contains the equal lengthy /i/ sound. The fourth line repeats /ai/ sound as in bye. Example #8: The Master (By Edgar Allan Poe) “And the silken unhappy unsure rustling of each pink curtain Thrilled me – filled me with extremely good terrors in no way felt earlier than; So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating` ‘Tis a few traveler entreating front at my chamber door – Some late traveller entreating front at my chamber door; ” This it is, and nothing more.” The Master, through Edgar Allan Poe, is teeming with the examples of assonance. The first line repeats the /ur/ sound, as in bird. The 2nd line begins with the repetition of the short /i/ sound, and ends with the repetition of the quick /e/ sound. The fourth line repeats the lengthy /i/ sound twice. The 1/3 line has a short /i/ sound twice. The remaining line has once more short /i/ sound repeated four times. Function of Assonance Similar to some other literary device, assonance has a very crucial role to play in both poetry and prose. Writers use it as a device to beautify a musical effect within the text by the use of it for creating inner rhyme. This consequently complements the pride of studying a literary piece. In addition, it helps writers to develop a particular temper inside the textual content that corresponds with its subject matter.

• Alliteration
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• Internal Rhyme
• Juxtaposition
• Non Sequitur
• Onomatopoeia
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• Pathetic Fallacy
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• Poetic Justice
• Point of View
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resemblance of sounds.

Also called vowel rhyme. Prosody . rhyme in which the same vowel sounds are used with different consonants in the stressed syllables of the rhyming words, as in penitent and reticence.

partial agreement or correspondence.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of assonance

Other words from assonance.

• as·so·nant, adjective, noun
• as·so·nan·tal [as- uh - nan -tl], /ˌæs əˈnæn tl/, as·so·nan·tic, adjective
• non·as·so·nance, noun
• non·as·so·nant, adjective, noun

Words Nearby assonance

• associative array
• associative cortex
• associative storage
• assortative mating

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use assonance in a sentence

Max Fish and Snow are wed by more than their iambic assonance .

Sometimes they enshrine a pun or a conceit, or depend for their aptness upon an assonance .

assonance , in poetry, a term used when the terminating words of lines have the same vowel sound but make no proper rhyme.

It is written in stanzas of various length, bound together by the vowel-rhyme known as assonance .

Not only is there no rhyme, but assonance is very carefully avoided.

Paradise Lost abounds with the assonance which the dominant feeling of the poet induced.

British Dictionary definitions for assonance

/ ( ˈæsənəns ) /

the use of the same vowel sound with different consonants or the same consonant with different vowels in successive words or stressed syllables, as in a line of verse. Examples are time and light or mystery and mastery

partial correspondence; rough similarity

Derived forms of assonance

• assonant , adjective , noun
• assonantal ( ˌæsəˈnænt ə l ), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012