Literary consonance facts for kids

Consonance is a fun literary trick where you repeat the same consonant sounds in words that are close to each other. But here's the catch: the vowel sounds in those words are different! Think of it like a tongue twister for your ears. For example, in "coming home," the 'm' sound is repeated. Another example is "hot foot" where the 't' sound is repeated.

Consonance is a bit like assonance, which is when you repeat vowel sounds. So, consonance is for consonants, and assonance is for vowels! Writers and poets use consonance to make their words sound more interesting or to create a certain mood.

What is Alliteration?

Alliteration is a special kind of consonance. It happens when the repeated consonant sound is at the very beginning of words, or in the main stressed part of a word. It's often used to make phrases catchy or memorable.

For example, in the phrase "few flocked to the fight," the 'f' sound is repeated at the start of each word. Another classic example is "around the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran," where the 'r' sound is repeated. Alliteration is very common in poems, songs, and even everyday sayings.

What is Sibilance?

Sibilance is another special type of consonance. It's when you repeat "s" or "sh" sounds, which are called sibilant sounds. These sounds can sometimes make a hissing or whispering effect.

A famous example comes from Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven": "And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain." Notice how the 's' sound is repeated many times, creating a soft, rustling sound. The word "sibilance" itself even has this repeated 's' sound!

Consonance in Music and Poetry

Consonance is often used in half-rhyme (also called "slant rhyme") in poetry. This is when words don't rhyme perfectly, but their consonant sounds are similar.

It's also very popular in hip-hop music. Rappers often use consonance to create complex and clever rhymes. For instance, in the song Zealots by the Fugees, you can hear it in lines like: "Rap rejects my tape deck, ejects projectile/Whether Jew or gentile I rank top percentile." Here, the 'j' and 'ct' sounds are repeated, making the lyrics flow well and sound impactful. This example also shows internal rhyme, where words rhyme within the same line.

See also

• Assonance
• Figure of speech
• Rhyming
• Rhyme scheme