As a writer, it’s good that you learn something new every day, or at least once in a while. What comes into your mind when you see the word alliteration? Yes, it is a literary device. But what exactly is alliteration? I know some writers associate alliteration with poetry in the sense that they only see it more as a poetic device than a literary device. I hope that you as a writer do not shy away from using alliteration because of this idea.

The definition of alliteration

Allow me to start with an example. Think about the following sentence: 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled pepper.' I’m sure you are already arguing that it must be a tongue twister. Well, you are right about that. But the sentence is a perfect example of the use of alliteration in a sentence. Alliteration is not the same as a tongue twister if that’s what you are thinking. However, you are right to think that alliteration is used in the construction of a tongue twister. Now that you have an idea about alliteration, let’s get down to business and define alliteration.

Alliteration refers to the prominent repetition of initial consonant sounds in successive or closely aligned words in a sentence or a group of words. Did you get that? I’ll try and make things a bit easier. You can think of alliteration as a literary device in which a group of words begins with a similar consonant sound. Is that better? You may also encounter words such as “head rhyme” or “initial rhyme”. Now don’t get confused with these words. They don't mean something different because they all simply mean alliteration.

Now I know that my example gives you the impression that alliteration may be limited to words beginning with the same letter (and consonant sound). Let’s take an example of a sentence like Kim’s coat kept falling. Yes! That too is alliteration in use. Although there is a “k” and a “c”, the consonant sound produced is the same. Alliteration only occurs when the consonant sound produced is the same.

The uses of alliteration

Alliteration is used in both fiction and nonfiction writing to make names memorable. The human brain finds it easy to remember words and names that have a rhyming or repetitive effect to them. You can use alliteration when naming your characters and even objects in your writing. The best examples in which alliteration is used for naming include Spongebob Squarepants, Donald Duck, Peter Parker, and Mickey Mouse. Other renowned figures and well-known business brands that have used alliteration in their names include Kim Kardashian, Paypal, Lois Lane, Coca-Cola, among others.

Alliteration can be used in poetry and songs to emphasize a message. An example is a verse in one of Taylor Swift’s songs "… And, baby, now we’ve got bad blood...”

Alliteration can also be used to emphasize and bring out a rhetorical effect in writing.

Sources

https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/alliteration

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/alliteration
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/alliteration-examples.html