Alliteration is the use of identical consonants at the beginning of words, while assonance is the use of identical and complementary vowel sounds within a word. Consonance is the use of identical consonants anywhere in a word. Alliteration was prolific in Old English and can be used in tongue twisters and mnemonic devices. Assonance is used to visualize unique vowel sounds and can be used as a teaching tool for pronunciation and spelling.
The difference between alliteration and assonance in the English language is that alliteration is the complementary use of identical consonants at the beginning of words, where as assonance is the use of identical and complementary vowel sounds within a word. These two ideas are ubiquitous in some types of poetry and prose, especially in the classical eras, where writers used them quite liberally to dramatic effect. These two literary conventions are technically different, although they may function in much the same way.
In addition to alliteration and assonance, it is important to recognize another similar element called consonance. Consonance is the agreement or use of identical consonants anywhere in a word, where as alliteration is specifically the use of identical consonants at the beginning of words. Thus, alliteration is the only member of the three that is related exclusively to the beginning of words. These terms represent very similar ideas, although each is technically distinct; as a result, it is common for them to get confused in conversation.
One of the most notable uses of alliteration comes from a long history of use within the English language. Ancient forms of English, such as Old English, use alliteration prolifically. Other languages such as Old Norse and Saxon also used alliteration, where matching consonant sounds held some power for their respective speech communities.
Another difference between alliteration and assonance is in the unique types of sounds these methods bring to a phrase or sentence. Alliteration is something that in modern times is useful in special sentences called “tongue twisters”. For example, the sentence “Sally sold seashells by the sea” uses a sort of staggered alliteration, oscillating between the initial “s” sound and the “sh” sound, to show children how to distinguish between these two consonants. Alliteration can also be useful in other items called mnemonic devices, in which individuals devise their own “catch phrases” to remember complex groups of words for password security or other purposes.
Conversely, assonance is used more to visualize the unique vowel sounds found in the English language. For example, if someone says “Don’t break your stake,” they might demonstrate how different sets of letters form the same “along a” vowel sound. This gives beginners more of an idea of how a given vocal sound is represented in different ways on paper to represent different meanings. Alliteration and assonance can therefore both be used as effective tools in teaching various elements of pronunciation and spelling.
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