assonances

Repeated vowel sounds

Assonances is the plural of assonance, the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words to create a subtle musical effect: The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.

Unlike rhyme, assonance matches only the vowel, not the following consonants.

Poets use assonances to bind lines together without the formality of end rhyme.

poetic

internal rhyme

Matching sounds mid-verse

euphonyPleasant arrangement of sounds
slant rhymeApproximate sound correspondence
near rhymeImperfect sonic correspondence

sonority · musicality · lilt · cadence · mellifluousness · resonance · half rhyme

technical

phonology

Science of language sounds

vowel soundsOpen-mouth speech tones
prosodyStudy of verse rhythm
literary deviceStorytelling method or structure

stylistics · phonetics · scansion · parallelism · alliteration · consonance · stress pattern · syllable structure · oral tradition · speech sounds

examples

holy smoke

Antiquated surprise exclamation

go slowReduce pace deliberately
deep sleepUnconsciousness hard to rouse
sea breezeWind from ocean to land

free and easy · time flies · high tide · wild child · old gold · stone cold · pale ale

Opposites

sound repetition type

assonancesconsonances

Agreeable sound combinations

consonance · dissonances · alliteration · cacophony · discordance

sound patterning vs. absence

assonancesarrhythmia

Abnormal cardiac rhythm

randomness

Family

assonance

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Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Abstract · Rated G