Poetic Terms Dictionary
Sound Device

Assonance

From Latin assonare: to sound to. A defining feature of Spanish and French poetry; in English it is the basis of slant rhyme and internal music.

Definition

The repetition of identical or similar vowel sounds in nearby words, creating internal rhyme or melodic texture.

Example

'The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.' — the long /eɪ/ sound recurs throughout.

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