English
What is alliteration?
Quick answer
Alliteration is when several words close together start with the same sound, like six silly snakes or big brown bear. It makes writing catchy and memorable.
In one sentence
Alliteration is the repetition of the same starting sound in words that are close together.
Explained
Try saying Six slippery snails slid slowly seaward quickly. The repeated /s/ sound is alliteration, and it is the reason tongue twisters twist your tongue.
The key word is sound, not letter. Cute kitten alliterates because both words begin with /k/, even though the letters differ. City cat does not, because city starts with /s/. Phone and fish alliterate (both /f/).
The words do not all have to be next to each other, and small words like the and a can sit in between: the bright blue balloon bobbed in the breeze.
Writers use alliteration because it:
- sounds musical and is fun to read aloud, which is why it is common in poems and picture books
- sticks in the memory, so it is popular in headlines, slogans, brand names and character names
- creates a mood: soft sounds like /s/ and /l/ feel gentle (lazy, lilting lullabies); hard sounds like /b/, /k/ and /t/ feel punchy (the cold, cruel crack of thunder)
Alliteration often works together with rhyme and onomatopoeia to make poetry sing. For older students, a related term is assonance, which repeats vowel sounds inside words (the light of the fire is high).
snake
sun
sock
Examples
- Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
- The wild wind whipped across the water.
- Big brown bears bounce on beds.
- Dark days drifted by.
- Curious kittens curled up in cosy corners. (c and k both make the /k/ sound)
Common mistakes
- Matching letters instead of sounds. Giraffe and goat start with g but different sounds, so they do not alliterate.
- Forcing it. Alliteration in every line soon sounds silly. Use it where you want a line to stand out.
- Confusing it with rhyme. Alliteration repeats the start of words; rhyme repeats the end.
Quick quiz
Alliteration
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
Which phrase uses alliteration?
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For grown-ups
Related topics
Rhyme
Words rhyme when their ending sounds match, like cat and hat, or light and bite. Rhymes depend on sound, not spelling.
Onomatopoeia
Onomatopoeia is a word that sounds like the noise it describes, such as buzz, splash, sizzle, bang or hiss.
Similes
A simile compares one thing to another using like or as, such as as brave as a lion or her eyes shone like stars.
Persuasive writing
Persuasive writing tries to convince the reader to agree with a view or take an action, using clear reasons, evidence and carefully chosen language.
Metaphors
A metaphor describes something by saying it is something else, without using like or as, such as The classroom was a zoo or Time is a thief.
Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes a noun, telling you what kind, which one or how many, like a huge elephant, a sour lemon or three red balloons.