What Is assonance?
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds within nearby words. Unlike rhyme, which matches sounds at the end of words, assonance focuses on internal vowel sounds, creating a subtle musicality in poetry and prose.
Example:
“Hear the mellow wedding bells” — Edgar Allan Poe
The repeated short “e” sound in bells, mellow, and wedding is assonance.
Why learn assonance?
Learning assonance helps students:
Strengthen phonemic awareness and sound recognition.
Enhance writing with rhythm and flow.
Deepen their poetry analysis skills.
Appreciate the musicality of language.
Experiment creatively with word choice and sound devices.
How to introduce assonance to students
Start with sound
Say phrases aloud and ask students what sounds repeat. Start with clear examples like:
“The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.”
Compare with rhyme and alliteration
Use a Venn diagram to show how assonance, rhyme, and alliteration differ.
Rhyme: final sound repetition (go / show)
Alliteration: same starting sounds (big blue balloon)
Assonance: repeated vowel sounds (go / road / slow)
Use examples from familiar texts
Pull assonance from picture books, poems, or even song lyrics. Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky are great places to start.
Assonance activities
Here are some activities you can try to help your kids practice assonance.
1. Sound sorting
Provide a list of words and have students group them by shared vowel sounds.
Then challenge them to create a line or short poem using one group.
2. Poetry hunt
Give students a short poem and have them highlight or underline examples of assonance.
3. Silly sentence building
Assign a vowel sound (e.g., long “A”) and have students write a silly sentence using at least 3 words with that sound.
Example: “Jake made a cake by the lake.”
4. Assonance poem prompt
Give students a vowel sound and a theme (e.g., short “O” and "the farm").
Ask them to write a 4-line poem using assonance:
“The dog jogged on the soft, soggy bog.”
5. Sound match
Create a matching game where students pair words with similar internal vowel sounds.
6. Lyrics
Connect assonance to music and lyrics. Play short snippets of kid-friendly songs and ask students to listen for repeated vowel sounds.
