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Alliteration
• Dan declares that he deserves to debate.
DEFINITION • Crooks conspire with the unkind king.
What is alliteration? Here’s a quick and simple definition:
In the first example, the “d” sound clearly occurs in the first syllable of
Alliteration is a figur
figuree of speech in which the same sound each word, but in three of the words it occurs on an unstressed
repeats in a group of words, such as the “b” sound in: “Bob syllable (de-clar
clares
es, de-ser
servves
es, de-b
bate). In the second example, it
brought the box of bricks to the basement.” The repeating occurs in the second syllable of “unkind,” but that second syllable is
sound must occur either in the first letter of each word, or in the stressed one: "un-kind
kind.”
the stressed syllables of those words. So which side is right? The short answer is that both definitions of
alliteration are currently accepted. But, not so long ago, only the
Some additional key details about alliteration: stressed-syllable version of alliteration was considered legitimate.
• Alliteration is the repetition of sounds, not just letters. Even today many people who really care about alliteration—poets, for
instance—would insist that the stressed syllable viewpoint is correct.
• Alliterative words don’t have to be right next to each other. Other
words can appear between them.
Vowels Can Allit
Alliter
eraate
• Alliteration is found often in poetry and prose, as well as in
While alliteration nowadays most often refers to repetition of the
commercial writing like brand names and marketing taglines. sounds of consonant, vowels can alliterate. For instance, “American
alliteration” is alliterative. That said, "open octagon" isn't really
Ho
Howw tto
o Pr
Pronounc
onouncee Allit
Alliter
eraation alliterative because the "o" makes different sounds in those two
Here's how to pronounce alliteration: uh-lit-uh-rray
ay-shun words.

Consonant Clus
Clustter
erss A
Aff
ffec
ectt Allit
Alliter
eraation
Under
Undersstanding the Rules of Allit
Alliter
eraation
Alliteration sticklers may contest that the best use of alliteration takes
Alliteration is complicated enough, and there are enough into consideration how certain combinations of consonants affect the
misconceptions about it, that it’s worth taking a closer look at the resulting sounds. For instance, they might argue that the example
rules that cover how alliteration works. “Sam speeds with skill through the storm” is not alliterative because
the clusters of “sp,” “sk,” and “st” have their own distinct sounds and
Allit
Alliter
eraation Doesn
Doesn’t
’t R
Requir
equiree Sequential Wor
Words
ds therefore don’t alliterate with each other or with a single “s.” This is
The repeated sounds of alliteration do not have to appear in not a hard and fast rule by a long shot (and we have an example
sequential words, one immediately after another. A phrase can still below from none other than Charles Dickens that actually does
contain alliteration if the repeated sounds are separated by other alliterate with “st” and “sp”) but the way that consonant clusters can
words. For instance, the example below is alliterative despite the “a” affect the degree of alliteration is still worth knowing about.
and “of”.
• Peter picked a peck of pickled peppers. Allit
Alliter
eraation vs. Consonanc
Consonancee vs. A
Assonanc
ssonancee
There are two close relatives of alliteration, both of which are often
Allit
Alliter
eraation R
Ref
efer
erss tto
oRRepe
epeaating Sounds, No
Nott LLeetter
erss confused with each other and with alliteration itself. They are
consonanc
onsonancee and assonanc
assonancee. Here are quick descriptions of each:
Alliteration isn’t just about repeated letters. It’s about repeated
sounds: • Consonanc
Consonancee is the repetition of similar consonant sounds across
several words. The repeated sound can occur at any point within
• Crooks conspire with the kind king. the word, not just on first or stressed syllables. So, for example, in
the sentence “ A truck full of unlucky ducks careened into the
This example is alliterative because the “c” and “k” produce the same aqueduct,” the hard “k” consonant sound doesn’t just occur on
sound even though they are different letters. stressed or first syllables, making this an example of consonance
but not alliteration.
Allit
Alliter
eraation, Fir
Firsst Syllables, and S
Str
tressed
essed Syllables • Assonanc
ssonancee is exactly the same as consonance, but with vowel
Some people believe that alliteration occurs whenever the repeating sounds instead of consonant sounds. An example of assonance is
sounds occur in the first syllable of a word, while others argue that the “oo” sound in this sentence: “The smooth balloon flew up and
alliteration only occurs when the sounds occur on stressed, or blew up when it hit the roof.” Note that in this example, because
emphasized, syllables. People holding these two separate views on all of the repeated sounds occur on stressed syllables, this
alliteration would disagree on whether the following two examples example is both assonance and alliteration.
are alliterative:

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Alliteration, then, is a specialized form of assonance or consonance in on the street-stones, and when the stain of it would be red
which the repeated sounds occur only on stressed syllables. upon many there.”

Allit
Alliter
eraation in T
Toni Morrison’’s Belo
oni Morrison Belovved
EX
EXAMPLES
AMPLES In this sample from Part 1, Chapter 9 of her novel Beloved, Toni
Alliteration appears all over the place. It is used very often in lyric Morrison intertwines alliteration on the “d,” “l,” “b,” “p,” and “h”
poetry, and appears regularly in novels, plays, and other literature. It’s sounds. Notice how the “l” sound repeats throughout the entire
also very common in more commercial writing, such as marketing passage and occurs between the alliteration of the other sounds,
taglines, brand names, and even in naming superheroes. which is a good example of how alliterative words don’t always have
to occur sequentially to qualify as alliteration.

Allit
Alliter
eraation E
Exxamples in Lit
Liter
eraatur
turee The dark, dark liver – love it, love it and the beat and beating
Alliteration is common in poetry, as well as in literature ranging from heart, love that too. More than eyes or feet. More than lungs
from Shakespeare to Stephen King. Below are some examples. that have yet to draw free air. More than your life-holding
womb and your life-giving private parts, hear me now, love
your heart.
Allit
Alliter
eraation in the Pr
Prologue o Romeo and Julie
ologue tto Juliett
This example from lines 5-6 of the Prologue of Romeo and Julie
Juliett has
two sets of alliteration, one with “f” sounds and one with “l” sounds. Allit
Alliter
eraation E
Exxamples in Mark
Markeeting
Marketing copywriters often use alliteration because it can help make
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes phrases and sentences fun to say and easy to remember, perfect for
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; taglines, such as:
• “Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s Maybelline”
Allit
Alliter
eraation in R
Robert
obert FFrros
ost’
t’ss “Bir
“Birches
ches””
• “Snickers satisfies”
This example from the poem “birches” by Robert Frost includes an
alliteratively intense repetition of “b” sounds in every line, and often • “Be all that you can be, find your future in the Army”
multiple times per line.
Alliteration is also a tool that many companies use in their branding,
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree, so that their names roll off the tongue more easily and stick in your
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk head. For example:
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again. • Best Buy
That would be good both going and coming back. • Canon Camera
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches. • Krispy Kreme
• Kit Kat
Allit
Alliter
eraation in John K
Keeats’s “Ode tto
o a Nighting
Nightingale
ale””
• Bed, Bath, and Beyond
In these lines from stanza 7, lines 5-10 of John Keats’s famous “Ode to
a Nightingale,” there are alliterations of both “s” and “f” sounds.
Allit
Alliter
eraation E
Exxamples in Superher
Superheroes
oes
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path The number of superheroes or supervillains whose names (super-
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, names or alter ego names) are alliterative is frankly astounding. To
She stood in tears amid the alien corn; name just a few:
The same that oft-times hath
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam • Bruce Banner
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn. • Clark Kent
• Green Goblin
Allit
Alliter
eraation in Charles Dick ens’’ A T
Dickens Tale
ale of T
Tw
wo Cities
• J. Jonah Jameson
The alliteration of “s” sounds in the example below comes from Part
1, Chapter 5 of Charles Dickens’ novel A TTale
ale of TTwo
wo Cities. The • Jessica Jones
alliteration, which in each case has the sibilant “s” followed by a • Lois Lane
harder consonant (either a “p” or a “t”) creates a sound almost of
something soft splashing against something hard, which is exactly • Silver Surfer
what Dickens is describing here: blood hitting the hard surface of the • Steven Strange
street. • Teen Titans
“The time was to come, when that wine too would be spilled • The Fantastic Four

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• Wade Wilson • To enhance the beauty of their writing

• Wonder Woman • To emphasize particular phrases or feelings
• To use the sounds they repeat (a soft “s” or a hard “t”, for instance)
It makes sense when you think about it. Every superhero is like a to mirror the ideas or events or feelings being described
brand, created by comic-book folks to sound cool and stick in your
mind. (That’s also why characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck • To make writing feel merry, musical, and mightily memorable.
are alliteratively named). Alliteration, you might say, is the real
superhero. Alliteration is especially popular in poetry, which is distinct in its
emphasis on sound and rhythm. For example, take a look at the
astonishing amount of alliteration in the final stanza of Edgar Allen
Allit
Alliter
eraation E
Exxamples in Song LLyrics
yrics Poe’s most famous poem, “The The Raven
Raven”:
Just as poets use alliteration for its lyricism and beauty, songwriters in
every genre from folk to rap use it to create stylistic effects in their And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
lyrics. On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is
Allit
Alliter
eraation in “Hello
“Hello”” b
byy Adele dreaming,
And the lamp-light o'er him streaming throws his shadow on
I've forgotten how it felt before the world fell at our feet. the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the
floor
Allit
Alliter
eraation in “It’
“It’ss Alright Ma (I’
(I’mm Only Bleeding
Bleeding)”
)” b
byy Bob Dylan
Shall be lifted—nevermore!
He not busy being born is busy dying.
The onslaught of alliteration on the “fl”, “s”, “p”, “d”, and “l” sounds
makes the poem feel musical but also overwhelming and
Allit
Alliter
eraation in “R
“Rap
ap God” b
byy Eminem mesmerizing, which is precisely what Poe was going for in his poetic
tale of a phantasmagorical raven that visits a grieving man who
So I wanna make sure, somewhere in this chicken scratch I seems to be uncertain if he is awake or asleep.
Scribble and doodle enough rhymes
To maybe try to help get some people through tough times
But I gotta keep a few punchlines
Just in case, ‘cause even you unsigned
OTHER RESOURCES
Rappers are hungry looking at me like it's lunchtime… • The Wikipedia PPag
agee on Allit
Alliter
eraation
tion:: A somewhat technical
explanation, including helpful examples from fiction, poetry, and
Allit
Alliter
eraation in ““W
Waiting on the World tto
o Chang
Changee” b
byy John May
Mayer
er pop culture.

So we keep waiting • The Dic

Dictionar
tionaryy Definition of Allit
Alliter
eraation
tion:: Includes a bit on the
Waiting on the world to change etymology of alliteration (spoiler: it’s derived from the Medieval
It's hard to beat the system Latin word for “letter”).
When we're standing at a distance • APPoe
oet'
t'ss Guide tto
o Allit
Alliter
eraativ
tivee VVer
erse:
se: Short and to the point. This is
So we keep waiting an example of a person who is a stickler about alliteration.
Waiting on the world to change
• Allit
Alliter
eraation on YYou
ouT
Tube

Allit
Alliter
eraation in ““All
All I W
Want”
ant” b
byy Joni Mit
Mitchell
chell ◦ An impassioned rap perf
performanc
ormancee that’s all about alliteration.
◦ An explanation of allit
alliter
eraation and rhyme
rhyme.
I want to be strong I want to laugh along
I want to belong to the living

The repeated “l” sound in this Joni Mitchell lyric is a good example of
alliteration in which the repeated sound does not always occur on the
first letter in each successive word. But notice that it does always
occur on the stressed syllable, making this an example of alliteration
and not just consonance.

WHY WRITER
WRITERSSU
USE
SE IT
Writers use alliteration, with its emphasis on sound and rhythm, for a
variety of different reasons:

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HO
HOWWT
TO
O CITE
ML
MLAA
Kestler, Justin. "Alliteration." LitCharts. LitCharts LLC, 4 May 2017.
Web. 21 Apr 2020.
CHICA
CHICAGO
GO MANU
MANUAL
AL
Kestler, Justin. "Alliteration." LitCharts LLC, May 4, 2017. Retrieved
April 21, 2020. https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/
alliteration.

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