Consonance: Consonance Examples in Poetry

Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sounds in a line of text. The etymology of consonance is from the Latin “consonantem,” meaning “agreeing in sound.” These similar sounds can appear anywhere in the word but are usually at the middle or end of words, or the end of the stressed syllable. Typically, the repetition occurs in quick succession, as in “pitter-patter.”

Alliteration, consonance, and assonance are similar literary devices that use the repetition of sounds. There are two primary differences between these literary terms:

1. 1. Phoneme: The repetition of the same letter sound is alliteration. Consonance refers specifically to the repetition of consonant sounds, and assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds.
2. 2. Placement: Alliteration is the repetition of the same letter sound across the start of several words in a line of text, like “wicked witch." Consonance is the repetition of a consonant sound anywhere in a line of text, like “twist and shout.” Assonance usually appears on stressed syllables, in words that are close together. Assonance can create internal rhyme, such as in “bake a cake,” or not rhyme at all, such as in “down and out.”

Sibilance is a subcategory of consonance of repeated consonant sounds with a hushing or hissing quality, chiefly “s” and “sh,” such as in “uncertain rustling.”

The use of consonance in poetry can imbue your writing with musicality and engage readers. Consider the following ways to use consonance in poetry:

• Create half rhymes: Poets use consonance to create half rhymes, where words sound similar but fall short of a perfect rhyme. These rhymes, also known as slant rhymes or imperfect rhymes, can give a verse musicality. An example of a half rhyme is pairing the words “worm” and “swarm.” Consonance can create internal rhymes in hip-hop music and rap song lyrics.
• Engage readers: Poets frequently use consonance because it makes an arrangement of words more attractive and appealing to listeners. Consonance-laced words might draw readers to reread lines or linger over them for longer—a good outcome in poetry, where a single line is sometimes closely packed with meanings.
• Heighten emotion: Consonance is one of several poetic devices writers can use to heighten emotion or enhance an image in poetry. Some consonants at the beginning of words can evoke an air of mystery, sleepiness, or intimacy, like “ship,” “zip,” “charm,” “genre” and “jewel.” Hard consonant sounds like the “ck” in “cat” or the “g” in “good” or plosives like “b” and “p” can also intensify the language.
• Make tongue twisters: Along with alliteration, consonance is also part of what makes tongue twisters so tricky. Take one of the most well-known examples: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.” The alliteration might be what’s most noticeable about this phrase, but the dense pack of “k” sounds often trips people up—and makes it fun to say.

Consider the following examples of consonance in poetry:

1. 1. “Shall I Wasting in Despair” (1617): This poem by George Wither utilizes several repeating consonants, including “d,” “f,” and “r,” sounds that unify the poem. “Great, or good, or kind, or fair, I will ne’er the more despair/ If she love me, this believe/ I will die ere she shall grieve/ If she slight me when I woo/ I can scorn and let her go/ For if she be not for me/ What care I for whom she be?”
2. 2. “The Tyger” (1794): William Blake’s 1794 poem “The Tyger” repeats the consonant “r,” creating a rhythmic quality to the poem. “Tyger Tyger, burning bright,/ In the forests of the night;/ What immortal hand or eye,/ Could frame thy fearful symmetry?”
3. 3. “Poem 315” (1862): Emily Dickinson’s poem “Poem 315” repeats “l” sounds at the end of the words to form slant rhymes. The poem reads, “Your breath has time to straighten/ Your brain to bubble cool/ Deals one imperial thunderbolt/ That scalps your naked soul.”
4. 4. “Out-Out” (1916): Robert Frost’s poem “Out-Out” repeats the consonant “d” to create rhythm and unity. The lines include “The buzz-saw snarled and rattled in the yard/ And made dust and dropped stove-length sticks of wood/ Sweet-scented stuff when the breeze drew across it.”
5. 5. “The Acrobats” (1974): Shel Silverstein’s poem “The Acrobats” features the repetition of “g” and “z”. “I’ll swing by my ankles/ She’ll cling to your knees. / As you hang by your nose,/ From a high-up trapeze./ But just one thing, please,/ As we float through the breeze,/ Don’t sneeze.”

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