What Is Consonance? Definition and Examples

Consonance is the repetition of the same consonant sound in nearby words, usually in the middle or at the end of the words rather than at the start.

The struck match caught, then went black.

The hard k and t sounds close struck, match, caught, went and black. The repetition gives the line a clipped, abrupt finish that matches what it describes. That is consonance: the same consonant sound recurring somewhere other than the front of the word.

What consonance is

Consonance is a consonant echo placed inside or at the end of words. Some dictionaries use the word for any repeated consonant, which would make alliteration one kind of it, but writers mostly use it for the middle and end, so it can be told apart from its neighbours:

Alliteration, same first sound: a dark, damp doorway.
Assonance, same vowel sound inside words: a slow, cold road.
Consonance, same consonant in the middle or at the end: a quick, dark flicker.

Where alliteration is a drumbeat at the start of words, consonance is texture spread through them. It is also what makes half rhyme possible (bent and burnt, shell and shall), which poets use where a full rhyme would be too neat.

Consonance examples

Odds and ends. The d sounds bind a stock phrase.
The wind slid under the door and hissed across the floorboards. Why it works: the s and z sounds hiss like the wind.
He stepped back, cracked his knuckles and picked up the axe. Why it works: the hard k and t sounds make the line sound tense and ready.
All the long, still evening, nothing moved. Why it works: the soft l, n and m sounds slow it down.

Consonant sounds carry character

Hard stops (k, t, p, b, d) make a line brittle and fast.
Hissing sounds (s, sh, z) make it whisper or lengthen.
Soft sounds (l, r, m, n) soften and slow it.

Reading a passage aloud and noticing which family dominates will usually explain why it feels the way it does, and it gives you a way to change that feeling without changing the meaning.

Common mistakes

Unplanned clusters. She sensed his sister's stress is a hiss the writer did not intend. Repetition nobody chose is heard as clumsiness, not music, and it belongs with mirror words.
Texture that fights the scene. A run of hard stops in a tender moment makes it sound harsh. Swap a word or two for softer sounds.
Only checking silently. Consonance is almost invisible on a silent read. Read the page aloud to hear it.

Frequently asked questions

What is consonance in simple terms?

Consonance is repeating a consonant sound in words close together, usually inside the words or at their ends. In 'the struck match caught, then went black', the hard k and t sounds repeat.

What are some examples of consonance?

'A quick, dark flicker' repeats the k sound. 'Pitter-patter' repeats t. 'Odds and ends' repeats d. In each case the shared sound sits inside or at the end of the words.

What is the difference between consonance and alliteration?

Alliteration repeats the first sound of words, as in 'big bold bell'. Consonance repeats consonants elsewhere in the word. Some dictionaries count alliteration as a kind of consonance, but most writing guides keep the two separate.

Is consonance the same as half rhyme?

Not quite. Half rhyme, also called slant rhyme, often uses consonance: 'bent' and 'burnt' share their consonants but not their vowel. Consonance is the wider term for any repeated consonant sound, whether it forms a rhyme or not.