What is Assonance?

Assonance Defined

What is assonance? Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within a line, or in a nearby line of poetry or prose. Assonance is similar to rhyme and pleasing to the ear, but it is not as challenging as rhythm or rhyme.

Examples of Assonance

Say these words out loud and listen for the similar vowel sounds. I have underlined the vowels in each word that create assonance with the second word. 

Hot Box

Gray Sale

Skylight

Fresh Vegetables

Baker’s Bagels

Kitchen Chicken

Stocked Boxes0

Riker’s Island

Smashed Sand

What is Assonance?
Does it have to rhyme?

Many rhyming words are also assonant, but not all assonants have to rhyme. If you are writing a poem with rhythm and rhyme, Assonance can help when having difficulty with an end-rhyme (the last rhyming word in a line of poetry.)

Here is an example of two lines of poetry that don’t quite rhyme, but still sound good to the ear:

When washing clothes you have to rinse.
Rinse once, rinse twice, when in a pinch.

The word “rinse” does not rhyme with “pinch.” But it is still pleasing to the ear because the last word in both lines have assonance.

Assonance in Poetry

Once you get the hang of noticing assonance when reading poetry or anything else, you will have something new in your poet’s toolbox. Young poets love to rhyme, and there is absolutely nothing wrote with that! (I love writing in rhyme myself.) But understanding other forms of wordplay will expand not only your poetry, but all your written words.