Alliteration: Definition and Examples

Exploring the lovely literary device

J.J. Pryor

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A bowl full of pickles
Photo by Марта Тюзова on Pexels

“The clever old conniver continued to cogitate.”― James D. Doss

Alliteration is the repetition of initial sounds in a series of words. It’s a literary device often used in poetry, humor, and writing to create a musical or rhythmical effect. Alliteration can also be used to add humor to writing and also to teach language learners how to enunciate a bit better.

Show me someone who can say “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if the woodchuck could chuck wood?” in under three seconds and you’ll be showing me someone who’s impressively proficient in speaking.

Personally, I love using alliteration to sharpen a point I’m trying to make in an essay or article. It’s a beautiful way to make people pause, ponder, and put on their thinking cap when you really want a reader to pay attention.

Plus, it just sounds good to the eye, doesn’t it? Of course, it does! So, let’s explore the concept a little more.

What is alliteration?

Many people think alliteration is simply when two or more words in a row start with the same letter. But like many things in life, it’s not that black and white. True alliteration focuses on the sound of the beginning of each word, rather…

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J.J. Pryor

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