alliteration
noun [U] /əˌlɪt.əˈreɪ.ʃən/
/əˌlɪt̬-/ specializedDefinition
› the use, especially in poetry, of the same sound or sounds, especially consonants, at the beginning of several words that are close together: 'Round the rugged rocks the ragged rascal ran' uses alliteration. → Compare assonancePhonology and phoneticsPoetry
(Definition of alliteration noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
Browse related topics
You are looking at an entry to do with Linguistics: phonology & phonetics, but you might be interested in these topics from the Language topic area:
- Figurative use of language
- Foreign words & phrases used in English
- Forms of languages & specialist dialects
- Forms of the English language
- Language names
- Letters of alphabets
- Linguistic terms & linguistic style
- Linguistics: both, all, each & every
- Linguistics: connecting words joining words or phrases with similar or related meanings
- Linguistics: connecting words which express a condition
- Linguistics: connecting words which express a contrast
- Linguistics: connecting words which introduce a cause or reason
- Linguistics: expressions telling people to stop doing something
- Linguistics: grammatical terms
- Linguistics: intensifying expressions
- Linguistics: interjections
- Linguistics: morphology & parts of words
- Linguistics: parts of speech
- Linguistics: personal pronouns
- Linguistics: possessive forms
- Linguistics: question words & expressions
- Linguistics: reflexive forms
- Linguistics: relative forms
- Linguistics: sentences & expressions
- Linguistics: sounds used as interjections
- Linguistics: terminology & vocabulary
- Linguistics: verb forms, tenses & types of verbs
- Linguistics: very & extreme
- Punctuation
- Using other languages
- Ways of speaking
Browse the Dictionary
Browse the Thesaurus
SMART Thesaurus
Synonyms and related words:
- aspirate verb
- assonance noun
- bilabial adjective
- clipped adjective (SPEAKING)
- diphthong noun
- homonym noun
- IPA noun
- onomatopoeia noun
- phonetic adjective
- phonetics noun
- phonology noun
- pronounce verb (MAKE SOUND)
- pronunciation noun
- schwa noun
- silent letter noun
- the International Phonetic Alphabet noun
- twang noun (VOICE)
- unpronounceable adjective
- unrepeatable adjective (WORDS)
- vowel noun
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Word of the Day
Blog
Read our blog about how the English language behaves.
New Words
Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.
