What Is Alliteration? KS3 English Explained With Examples

Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more closely placed words. It is one of the most versatile sound devices in the KS3 English toolkit. Writers use alliteration to create rhythm, draw attention to a phrase, and shape the mood of a piece — whether in poetry, fiction, or persuasive writing.

What exactly is alliteration?

Alliteration works on sound, not spelling. The key is the initial consonant sound, not the letter itself. "Knuckle" and "night" both begin with an /n/ sound, so they alliterate even though they start with different letters. Conversely, "church" and "cool" share the letter C but produce different sounds (/tʃ/ and /k/), so they do not alliterate.

The term comes from the Latin littera, meaning letter. Unlike rhyme, which operates at the end of words, alliteration anchors its effect at the start — making the repeated sound land before the reader's eye moves on.

What are some clear examples of alliteration?

Here are examples from literature, everyday life, and advertising — the contexts you are most likely to encounter in KS3 assessments:

Source | Example | Repeated sound
Shakespeare, Macbeth | "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" | /f/
Siegfried Sassoon, Attack | "Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke" | /s/
Traditional tongue-twister | "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" | /p/
Everyday advert | "Beanz Meanz Heinz" | /b/ then /m/ then /h/ — note not all three alliterate
Newspaper headline | "Budget battle begins in Birmingham" | /b/

Notice that alliteration does not require every word to share the sound — just enough closely spaced words to create an audible pattern.

How does alliteration create effect?

The effect depends entirely on which sound is repeated and how it is used in context. Ask yourself two questions when analysing: What does the sound feel like in the mouth? What is happening in the text at that moment?

Sibilance (/s/ and /sh/ sounds) creates a whispering, hissing, or sinister quality. In Macbeth, the witches' "Serpent under the sweet flower" feels slippery and threatening.

Plosive sounds (/p/, /b/, /d/, /t/) create a hard, percussive effect — useful for violence, anger, or urgency. Wilfred Owen's "blood-shod" soldiers march with a thudding weight.

Soft sounds (/w/, /l/, /m/) can slow the pace and feel soothing or melancholy.

The key mistake KS3 students make is labelling the device and moving on. The examiner wants to know what the sound does — not just that it is there.

How do I write about alliteration in an analysis?

Use the P-E-E structure (Point, Evidence, Explain) and zoom in on the specific sound:

Worked example — analysing this line from Tennyson's The Eagle: "He clasps the crag with crooked hands"

Point: Tennyson uses alliteration to emphasise the eagle's grip on the rock.

Evidence: "clasps the crag with crooked hands."

Explain: The repeated hard /k/ sound mimics the sharp, sudden action of claws locking onto stone, giving the reader a physical sense of the bird's power. The sound itself feels abrupt and definitive — just like the grip it describes.

Notice that the explanation links the quality of the sound to the meaning of the moment. That is what earns marks.

Where will I encounter alliteration in my KS3 work?

You will meet alliteration across several areas of the KS3 English programme of study:

Reading — identifying and analysing it in poetry, prose, and non-fiction

Writing — using it deliberately in your own descriptive, narrative, or persuasive pieces

Speaking and listening — recognising how speakers use it for memorable phrases

In non-fiction and persuasive writing, alliteration is especially common in headlines, slogans, and speeches, because it makes phrases easier to remember. Politicians and advertisers have used it for centuries for exactly this reason.

How is alliteration different from assonance?

These two devices are often confused:

Alliteration — repeated consonant sounds at the start of words: "silent sea"

Assonance — repeated vowel sounds anywhere within words: "the rain in Spain"

Both are sound devices, but they create different effects. Assonance tends to produce a more flowing, lyrical quality; alliteration is crisper and more emphatic. Many poems use both simultaneously.

Can alliteration appear in prose as well as poetry?

Yes — and this is worth knowing for your reading assessments. Alliteration is just as common in prose fiction and non-fiction as it is in poetry. Charles Dickens, for example, used it freely: "the cold, clammy, close air" of a crypt creates atmosphere in a way no single adjective could. Travel writers, journalists, and speechwriters all reach for alliteration when they want a phrase to stick.

Frequently asked questions

Does alliteration have to be at the start of every word in a sentence?

No. It only requires two or more closely placed words to share the same initial consonant sound. The words do not need to be consecutive — "Peter came quietly and calmly past the gate" still contains alliteration in "came quietly and calmly," even with "and" between the /k/ words.

Is alliteration only used in poetry?

No. While it is very common in poetry, alliteration appears in prose fiction, non-fiction, speeches, journalism, and advertising. Wherever a writer wants a phrase to be memorable, emphatic, or atmospheric, alliteration is a natural tool to reach for.

What is the difference between alliteration and a tongue-twister?

A tongue-twister is a phrase deliberately engineered to be hard to say quickly — and it usually relies on alliteration. However, not all alliteration is a tongue-twister. When Keats writes "Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness," the alliteration is gentle and lyrical, not tongue-twisting at all.

How much alliteration is too much?

There is no fixed rule, but excess alliteration draws attention to itself and away from meaning. Three or four alliterative words in a short passage create a deliberate, controlled effect; six or seven in a single sentence can feel overdone. As a writer, read your work aloud — if the sound drowns the sense, dial it back.

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