Alliteration, Assonance and Onomatopoeia
Alliteration, Assonance and Onomatopoeia
These are the figures of sound rather than of meaning, and they give 1 to 2 questions. They are examined together because candidates routinely confuse the first two, and the difference between them is a single word: consonant or vowel.
The Three Sound Devices
| Figure | What repeats | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Alliteration | The initial consonant sound | Peter Piper picked a peck |
| Assonance | Vowel sounds inside words | The rain in Spain stays mainly |
| Consonance | Consonant sounds inside or at the end | pitter patter |
| Onomatopoeia | The word imitates the sound | buzz, hiss, murmur, clang |
The distinction to fix is that alliteration repeats consonants at the beginning while assonance repeats vowels anywhere inside the words. Both are about sound, not spelling: Philip's fine face alliterates because ph and f are the same sound, even though the letters differ.
✗ The rain in Spain is alliteration | ✓ The repeated sound is a vowel, so it is assonance
Onomatopoeia
An onomatopoeic word imitates the sound it names, so the word itself carries the noise. English has a large stock of them.
- Animals — buzz, hiss, moo, croak, chirp, growl.
- Water — splash, drip, gurgle, murmur.
- Impact — bang, crash, thud, clang, click.
- Air — whoosh, rustle, whisper, sizzle.
Onomatopoeia is easy to identify but easy to over-identify. A word is onomatopoeic only if it sounds like what it means. Loud describes a sound but does not imitate one, so it does not qualify.
Rhyme, Rhythm and Repetition
Three further sound devices appear in poetry questions.
- Rhyme — matching sounds at the ends of lines, described as a scheme such as abab or aabb.
- Internal rhyme — a rhyme inside a single line rather than at its end.
- Refrain — a line or phrase repeated at intervals through a poem.
- Anaphora — the same word or phrase beginning several successive lines or clauses.
Anaphora is the graduate-level term here and it appears in famous speeches as much as in poetry — the repeated opening of successive sentences to build force. A question may give such a passage and ask for the device by name.
Why Sound Devices Are Used
A sound figure is not decoration; it does work in the line, and a paper at this level may ask what that work is.
- Alliteration binds words together so a phrase is remembered — which is why headlines and advertisements use it.
- Assonance slows or smooths a line, and long vowels in particular slow the reading.
- Onomatopoeia puts the reader inside the scene by supplying the sound directly.
- Repetition and anaphora build emphasis and rhythm, and signal strong feeling.
Because you will teach poetry to classes 6 to 8, the classroom use matters too: children identify alliteration and onomatopoeia far more readily than metaphor, which is why textbooks introduce sound devices first.
अनुप्रास = शुरु के व्यंजन, स्वरमैत्री = अंदर के स्वर।
TRE pointer: The alliteration and assonance pair is the whole of this topic's difficulty, and the rule is one line: consonants at the beginning against vowels inside. Remember that these are sound devices, not spelling devices — Philip's fine face alliterates. Anaphora is the term most likely to separate candidates. With −1/3 negative marking, say the line aloud in your head before choosing.
60-Second Recap
- Alliteration repeats the initial consonant sound; assonance repeats vowel sounds inside words.
- Consonance repeats consonants inside or at the ends of words.
- These are sound devices, not spelling — ph and f alliterate.
- Onomatopoeia means the word imitates the sound it names.
- Anaphora repeats a word or phrase at the start of successive lines.
- Alliteration binds and aids memory; long vowels in assonance slow a line.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between alliteration and assonance?
Alliteration repeats the initial consonant sound of nearby words, as in Peter Piper picked a peck. Assonance repeats vowel sounds inside words, as in the rain in Spain. Consonants at the beginning against vowels in the middle is the whole distinction.
Does alliteration depend on letters or sounds?
On sounds. Philip's fine face alliterates because ph and f represent the same sound, even though the letters differ. Conversely, city and cat do not alliterate despite both beginning with c, because the sounds are different. Always read the line aloud mentally.
Which words count as onomatopoeia?
Only those that imitate the sound they name, such as buzz, hiss, clang, splash and murmur. A word like loud describes a sound without imitating it, so it does not qualify. This over-identification is the commonest error in the topic.
What is anaphora?
The repetition of the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines, clauses or sentences, used to build emphasis and rhythm. It appears in poetry and in famous speeches alike, and it is the graduate-level term most likely to appear in this topic.