RRhetoric
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Sound & Diction

Assonance

ASS-uh-nunce / ˈæsənəns

Repeating vowel sounds in nearby words, as in “the deep green sea.” The repeated sounds can link words or establish a pattern within a line.

“Deep green sea”: the stressed vowels repeat /iː/.

Don't confuse it with Alliteration. Alliteration repeats initial consonants; consonance repeats consonants anywhere; assonance is vowels only.

Drill its family — Sound & Diction

Examples

The deep green sea.
Practice example · written for this exercise

“Deep,” “green,” and “sea” repeat the /iː/ vowel sound.

Slow boats float home.
Practice example · written for this exercise

The stressed vowel in the nearby words repeats /oʊ/ in common American pronunciation.

The rest of the family

Alliteration Onomatopoeia Tmesis Neologism Archaism Solecism Epithet