Sound Devices in Poetry: 12 Devices With Examples

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Sound devices in poetry with famous examples

Sound devices are the techniques poets use to make a poem pleasing, powerful or strange to the ear. They include alliteration, assonance, rhyme, onomatopoeia and rhythm. This guide explains 12 sound devices in poetry, each with a definition, an example from a famous poem and a tip for hearing it when you read aloud. For metaphor, imagery and structure, see our full guide to poetic devices.

What are sound devices in poetry?

A sound device is any technique that uses the sound of words, rather than only their meaning, to create an effect. Poets use them to set a mood, link ideas, make lines memorable and imitate real sounds. Because poetry began as something spoken and sung, sound devices are some of the oldest tools a poet has.

Sound devices at a glance

Device	What repeats or happens	Where
Alliteration	Same consonant sound	At the start of nearby words
Assonance	Same vowel sound	Inside nearby words
Consonance	Same consonant sound	In the middle or at the end of words
Sibilance	Hissing “s,” “sh” and soft “c” sounds	Throughout a line
Onomatopoeia	A word that imitates a sound	Anywhere
End rhyme	Matching final sounds	At the ends of lines
Internal rhyme	Matching sounds	Within a single line
Slant rhyme	Almost-matching sounds	Usually at line ends
Repetition and refrain	A word, phrase or line	At regular points in the poem
Rhythm and meter	A pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables	Across each line
Euphony	Smooth, pleasant sounds	Throughout a passage
Cacophony	Harsh, clashing sounds	Throughout a passage

12 sound devices with examples

1. Alliteration

The repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words.

Example: “He clasps the crag with crooked hands” (Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “The Eagle” (1851))
Effect: The hard “c” and “cr” sounds make the eagle’s grip feel tight and strong.
Reading tip: Alliteration is easiest to hear when you read slowly and stress the first sound of each word.

2. Assonance

The repetition of vowel sounds inside nearby words, even when the consonants differ.

Example: “In Xanadu did Kubla Khan” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “Kubla Khan” (1816))
Effect: The repeated open “a” sounds give the line a chant-like, dreamy quality.
Reading tip: Say the line with your eyes closed and listen only to the vowels.

3. Consonance

The repetition of consonant sounds anywhere in nearby words, often in the middle or at the end.

Example: “Only the stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle” (Wilfred Owen, “Anthem for Doomed Youth” (1920))
Effect: The repeated “t” and “r” sounds imitate gunfire.
Reading tip: Tap the table on each repeated consonant to feel the rhythm.

4. Sibilance

A kind of consonance that repeats hissing sounds such as “s,” “sh” and soft “c.”

Example: “And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain” (Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven” (1845))
Effect: The soft hissing sounds echo the whisper of fabric in a quiet room.
Reading tip: Whisper the line; sibilance often sounds best softly.

5. Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like the thing they describe.

Example: “How they tinkle, tinkle, tinkle, / In the icy air of night!” (Edgar Allan Poe, “The Bells” (1849))
Effect: “Tinkle” sounds like small silver bells, and the repetition makes them ring on.
Reading tip: Read onomatopoeic words a little louder than the rest of the line.

6. End rhyme

Rhyme between the last words of two or more lines.

Example: “Whose woods these are I think I know. / His house is in the village though;” (Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” (1923))
Effect: “Know” and “though” rhyme, which makes the stanza feel settled and calm.
Reading tip: Pause slightly at each line end so the rhyme lands.

7. Internal rhyme

Rhyme between words inside the same line, or between a word in the middle and one at the end.

Example: “The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew” (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (1817 version))
Effect: “Blew” and “flew” rhyme inside the line, speeding it up like the ship before the wind.
Reading tip: Notice how internal rhyme makes a line feel faster.

8. Slant rhyme

Also called near rhyme or half rhyme: words whose sounds are similar but not identical.

Example: “soul” paired with “all” in Emily Dickinson, “Hope is the thing with feathers” (1891)
Effect: The almost-rhyme feels unfinished, which suits a poem about hope that never quite stops.
Reading tip: Listen for endings that “nearly” rhyme; poets often use them to avoid a sing-song feel.

9. Repetition and refrain

Repeating language for emphasis. A refrain is a line or phrase that returns at regular intervals.

Example: “In a kingdom by the sea” (Edgar Allan Poe, “Annabel Lee” (1849))
Effect: The returning phrase works like a chorus, pulling the reader back to the lost love.
Reading tip: Change your tone slightly each time a refrain returns.

10. Rhythm and meter

Rhythm is the beat of a line. Meter is a regular, measurable rhythm.

Example: “By the shores of Gitche Gumee” (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Song of Hiawatha” (1855))
Effect: The steady “DUM-da DUM-da” beat (trochaic meter) sounds like a drum or a chant.
Reading tip: Clap the stressed syllables as you read.

11. Euphony

The use of soft, flowing sounds, such as “l,” “m,” “n” and long vowels, to create a pleasant effect.

Example: “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” (John Keats, “To Autumn” (1820))
Effect: The soft “m,” “s” and “l” sounds make autumn feel gentle and rich.
Reading tip: Read euphonic lines slowly and let the sounds blend.

12. Cacophony

The use of harsh, jarring sounds, such as “k,” “g,” “t” and clustered consonants, to create tension or confusion.

Example: “’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe” (Lewis Carroll, “Jabberwocky” (1871))
Effect: The odd, knotted sounds make the nonsense world feel strange and wild.
Reading tip: Exaggerate the hard consonants to hear the effect.

Alliteration, assonance and consonance: what is the difference?

Alliteration repeats consonant sounds at the start of words: “crag with crooked.”
Consonance repeats consonant sounds anywhere in words, often at the end: “stuttering rifles’ rapid rattle.”
Assonance repeats vowel sounds: “Xanadu did Kubla Khan.”

Remember that these devices are about sound, not spelling. “Cat” and “kite” alliterate, but “cat” and “cent” do not.

Why poets use sound devices

To set a mood. Soft sounds calm the reader; harsh sounds create tension.
To imitate what is described. Bells ring, guns rattle, curtains whisper.
To make lines memorable. Rhyme and rhythm help a poem stick in the mind.
To link ideas. Words that sound alike feel connected, even when their meanings differ.

Practice: hear the sound devices

Read this short original stanza aloud and listen for the sound devices. Answers are below.

Rain ticks on the tin roof,
pat, pat, a patient knocking,
while the low moan of the old oak
rolls slowly over the lawn.

Original stanza by Poetry Valley

Answers: onomatopoeia (“ticks,” “pat, pat”), alliteration (“ticks … tin,” “pat … patient”), assonance (the long “o” in “low moan,” “old oak,” “rolls slowly”), and consonance (the repeated “l” in “low,” “old,” “rolls,” “slowly,” “lawn”).

Quick answers

What are the sound devices in poetry?

The main sound devices are alliteration, assonance, consonance, sibilance, onomatopoeia, end rhyme, internal rhyme, slant rhyme, repetition and refrain, rhythm and meter, euphony and cacophony.

What is a tool poets use to add meaning through sound?

That tool is called a sound device. Common examples are alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia and rhyme, which use the sound of words to create mood, emphasis or connections between ideas.