Vocabulary
Alliteration: meaning and examples in English
Bright blue boats bobbed beside the bridge. The repeated /b/ sound gives the sentence a pattern that you can hear. That pattern is alliteration.
Identify alliteration as a repeated starting sound, usually a consonant sound, in nearby words and use it without confusing sound with spelling.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
alliteration /əˌlɪt.əˈreɪ.ʃən/
The short answer
Alliteration repeats a starting sound in nearby words. In most learner examples, that sound is a consonant, as in bright blue boats. It depends on sound, so cat city is not alliteration: both words begin with c, but /k/ and /s/ are different.
Bright blue boats bobbed beside the bridge.
Why it works: The nearby words begin with the /b/ sound.
4 more examples
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The cat entered the city before noon.
Cat starts with /k/, while city starts with /s/. The shared letter c does not make these words alliterative.
Not this:The
calm cat crossed the courtyardbefore noon. What changes: Calm, cat, crossed, and courtyard begin with /k/, so this sentence uses alliteration. -
Calm kings kept careful notes.
C and k have different spellings here, but each word begins with /k/.
Not this:
Calm visitors kept carefulnotes. What changes: Visitors begins with /v/, which interrupts the repeated /k/ pattern. -
Sally sings softly in the spring.
The first three words begin with /s/, which creates an audible pattern.
Not this:
Sally talks softlyin the spring. What changes: Talks begins with /t/, so the opening pattern is less regular. -
Five fragrant flowers filled the vase.
The nearby words repeat the /f/ sound at the start.
Not this:
Five red flowers filledthe vase. What changes: Red begins with /r/, so it breaks the run of /f/ sounds.
Read the full guide
Say the first sound of each nearby word. When the same opening sound repeats, the phrase may use alliteration. A shared first letter is useful only when it also represents the same sound.
Listen for a repeated starting sound
Begin by saying the first sound of nearby words. Alliteration usually repeats a consonant sound, such as /p/, /b/, or /s/. The repeated sound can make the words feel connected.
Peter packed paper parcels.
Peter, packed, paper, and parcels begin with /p/.
Which sound repeats in the sentence?
The /p/ sound repeats at the start of the key words.
Check the sound before spelling
The same written letter can represent different sounds. Cat begins with /k/, but city begins with /s/. When those words appear near each other, the shared c does not create alliteration.
The cat entered the city before noon.
Cat and city use the letter c, but their first sounds are different.
Do cat and city make an alliterative pair?
No. Listen for /k/ and /s/, not for the shared spelling.
Different letters can repeat one sound
Different letters can create the same sound. This is why calm kings can be alliterative. Calm starts with c and kings starts with k, yet both begin with /k/.
Calm kings kept careful notes.
Calm, kings, kept, and careful all begin with /k/.
Which detail matters more here, the letter or the sound?
The sound matters. The different spellings still produce /k/.
Use repetition for a clear effect
Alliteration can make a title, description, or short phrase more memorable. Use it to support the meaning rather than to fill every word with the same sound.
Mia packed a map, a mug, and a meal.
Map, mug, and meal repeat /m/, while the other words keep the sentence easy to understand.
Does every word need the same first sound?
No. A few nearby matching sounds are enough to create the effect.
Use alliterative to describe the wording
Alliteration is the noun for the sound pattern. Alliterative is the adjective for wording that uses it. You can describe a phrase, title, line, or name as alliterative.
The editor chose an alliterative title for the article.
The title is alliterative because it contains alliteration.
Which word describes a title that uses alliteration?
Use alliterative as the adjective.
Before you go
Remember this
Listen for a repeated starting sound in nearby words. Do not decide from spelling alone. If the opening sounds match, the words may be alliterative; if the letters match but the sounds differ, they are not.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Alliteration: meaning and examples in English"
What is alliteration?
Alliteration is the repetition of a starting sound in nearby words. Learner examples usually use a repeated consonant sound, such as /b/ in bright blue boats.
Bright blue boats bobbed beside the bridge.
Does alliteration need the same first letter?
No. Alliteration depends on sound. Calm and kings use different first letters but both begin with /k/, so they can form an alliterative pattern.
Blue boats moved beside a bridge.
Why are cat and city not alliteration?
Cat begins with /k/ and city begins with /s/. The words share the written letter c, but their opening sounds are different.
The cat entered the city before noon.
What is the difference between alliteration and rhyme?
Alliteration repeats sounds at the start of nearby words. Rhyme repeats sounds at the end of words, as in light and night.
The calm cat crossed the courtyard before noon.
How do you pronounce alliteration?
Say alliteration as /əˌlɪt.əˈreɪ.ʃən/. The main stress falls on the final part, AY-tion.
Calm kings kept careful notes.
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