Alliteration Examples

Alliteration is a poetic technique in which the initial consonant sounds of words are repeated in close succession. To put it more simply: alliteration is when the beginning sounds of words repeat. It is important to note that alliteration is about the sounds of words, not the letters; therefore, the letter “k” and “c” can be used alliteratively (as in  kitchen and cookie), as well as the letter “s” and “c” (as in sparkle and  cycle).  Also, the words do not need to be directly next to each other in the sentence or stanza to be considered alliterative (although they often are). There is no agreed upon rule governing the distance that alliterative words must share in order for these words to be considered alliteration, but a good guideline to follow is that if you can not detect the repetition of the sounds upon reading the text aloud, then it is unlikely that others would consider the use to be alliterative.

Alliteration
Repeating the same first consonant sounds in a series of words

Here is a list of 101 examples of alliteration in alphabetical order:

Examples of Alliteration Using the “B” Sound
1. Janie read a book by the babbling brook.
2. The child bounced the ball at the backyard barbeque.
3. The barbarians broke through the barricade.
4. He acts silly at times, but he was blessed with a brilliant brain.
5. The beautiful bouquet blossomed in the bright sun.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “C” and “K” Sounds
6. When the canary keeled over, the coal miners left the cave.
7. The captain couldn’t keep the men in the cabin.
8. Erin cooked cupcakes in the kitchen.
9. My Cadillac was completely crushed in a car crash.
10. The candy was killing my cavity.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “Ch” Sound
11. Despite their mother’s warnings, the children chose to chew with their mouths open.
12. The rich man was so cheap that it was chilling.
13. The crowd cheered when the champion hit the challenger with a chair.
14. We sat around the campfire and chomped on chunks of charred chicken.
15. Change the channel.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “D” Sound
16. They would have been on time, if they didn’t dilly-dally.
17. He dunked the delicious donut in dairy creamer.
18. There is nothing but death in the desert during the day.
19. I woke up at school in a slobbery pool; though I used to be dry, now I’m drowning in drool.
20. I dreamt of a drip-dropping drain in my dream.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “F” and  “Ph” Sounds
21. Your friends will flip-flop fast when facing trouble.
22. Our financial future fell into a freefall.
23. The stuntman flipped from a forty foot Ferris wheel.
24. I forgot my flip phone but felt free.
25. That’s the first photo of France from the Moon.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “G” Sound
26. When the tests were distributed, the guys grimaced and groaned.
27. The girl grabbed the golden goose and ran.
28. Grass grows greener in the graveyard.
29. The ghouls and ghosts greeted the gangly goblins.
30. I reached under the desk and grabbed the gross gum.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “H” Sound
31. The hummingbirds hovered in heavenly harmony.
32. She happily helped the homeless.
33. The hecklers hassled the humble harmonica player.
34. After Monique dumped Brian, his heart hung heavily.
35. Those horses have heavy hooves.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “J” and “G” Sounds
36. The gentle giant jumped in jubilation.
37. Juggling jack o’lanterns is my job.
38. He jabbed the javelin into the jail cell.
39. Jellyfish have germs and jarring toxins.
40. The gym was jammed with jelly jars and junk.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “L” Sound
41. Whenever he lied, he lisped a little.
42. The lion licked his lips.
43. Feeling rather lazy, he laid low in the lounge.
44. We lamented the Lord’s lost labor.
45. Her love languished in the limelight.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “M” Sound
46. Menacing sounds of mashing metal machines emanated from the mines.
47. All of the millionaire’s money only made him more melancholy.
48. My mother makes a mouthwatering mincemeat pie.
49. There are madmen in the middle of those mountains.
50. Most monsters don’t mind making messes.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “N,” “Gn,” and “Kn” Sounds
51. My neighbors are not normally noisy.
52. I knew that she’d be a natural at kneading the noodle dough.
53. The ninjas gnashed their knives and nailed their targets.
54. The newt nuzzled in a narrow nook.
55. Mom nabbed her niece by the nape of her neck.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “P” Sound
56. The prince pressed the royal seal on the purple parchment.
57. A paper plane passed over my head.
58. The parrot perched upon the pirate’s peacoat.
59. Sue went to the party and pretended that she was people person.
60. The girls played patty-cake on the park bench.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “R” and “Wr” Sounds
61. The red roses were wrapped in ribbons.
62. She rarely reads; she’d rather write her own books.
63. A radar ring rippled across the monitor.
64. Those ravenous research rabbits have gone rabid!
65. The reporter wrote about the rebel raid.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “S” and “C” Sounds
66. The snake slithered across the sandy seaside.
67. My sassy sister slapped the villain silly.
68. That’s the sound of someone sipping soup for supper.
69. She sniffed and smelled sage and sassafras.
70. Seeking sanctuary, they formed a circle of spears.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “Sh” Sound
71. She should share her sherbert with her sister.
72. A shard of shrapnel shaved her shoulder blade.
73. The sheep were schlepping shyly by the shark tank.
74. He found a shell that even shimmered in the shade.
75. The sheriff wore a shiny star shaped shield.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “St” Sound
76. The store clerk stood and stared at me in stupor.
77. She stuck the stolen stapler in her suitcase.
78. The students threw stones through the stained glass steeple.
79. Everything rested on the strength of the steel structure.
80. Stern winds strew still waters.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “T” Sound
81. The teacher took the troublemakers’ toys.
82. They trounced us in the tried and true tradition.
83. The tattle-tale tried to tell the teacher.
84. Try the turkey tacos; they’re quite tasty.
85. The tornado tossed the trailer like a trash can.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “V” Sound
86. The vapid vixen vented her various vexations.
87. Valiance is a virtue often vacant from these vermin.
88. We viewed the verdant valleys vaunted vegetation.
89. The ventriloquist varied his voice vociferously.
90. Her views on vices were vaguely veiled at best.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “W” Sound
91. The wind was whistling through the weeping willows.
92. Construction workers whistled at the women.
93. We welcomed all the wise men from the West.
94. Don’t wage a war of words against the world.
95. The waffles worsened while the waiter waited.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “Y,” “Eu,” and “U” Sounds
96. In her youth she yearned to wander yonder Europe.
97. I’m used to yelling at you yellowbellies.
98. Your usefulness was used up yesterday.
Examples of Alliteration Using the “Z” and “X” Sound
99. My zodiac was zooming toward the zenith.
100. The xanthous xenophobes were overzealous.
101. The player zipped by the zonal defense and zeroed in on the end zone.


 

Common Core State Standards Related to Alliteration

Anchor Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 – Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.L.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

View All CCSS Standards Related to Alliteration
ELA Standards: Literature

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.5.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative language such as metaphors and similes.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.6.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning and tone.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of rhymes and other repetitions of sounds (e.g., alliteration) on a specific verse or stanza of a poem or section of a story or drama.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.8.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9-10.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 – Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

ELA Standards: Language

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.3.5 – Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5a – Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5a – Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.5.5b – Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.6.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., personification) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.7.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., literary, biblical, and mythological allusions) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.8.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g. verbal irony, puns) in context.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9-10.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.11-12.5a – Interpret figures of speech (e.g., hyperbole, paradox) in context and analyze their role in the text.

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83 Comments

  1. Khadija shehu

     /  November 6, 2023

    Thank you so much
    I really appreciate.

    Reply
  2. Nancy

     /  August 26, 2023

    Would love to have some for preK or K.
    Also more like Susie sells seashells by the seashore.

    Reply
  3. nashley

     /  May 18, 2023

    l loved your alliterations because they are very interesting and if your audience are listening to the alliteration in your speech, they will not get bored and leave

    Reply
  4. bill marsano

     /  March 11, 2023

    The W and WH are tricky. The H should be pro nounced in what, when, where, while, ect., but they are almost invariably elided in speech, and so slide by on incorrect pronunciation.

    Aslde to Mr. Morton: for my part, the letter H gets my goat.

    Reply
  5. bill marsano

     /  March 11, 2023

    ‘sparkle’ and ‘cycle’ are NOT alliterative Try ‘scythe’ instead.

    Reply
  6. someone

     /  January 9, 2023

    I’m not sorry, but these are NOT examples of alliteration.

    Reply
  7. Trina Toth

     /  July 7, 2021

    Awesome Resource! It’s great to have things put together like this so I don’t have to hunt or make up stuff.

    Reply
  8. Sparrow

     /  December 2, 2020

    Can you advise how to write thankful for family, health and teacher using alliteration?

    Reply
  9. JethroK Kakeni

     /  October 1, 2020

    It’ s awesome!!!!Thank you please email me more love alliteration
    please…..

    Reply
  10. Rohan

     /  August 28, 2019

    Tell a alliteration with tr

    Reply

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