Which term describes the repetition of the initial consonant sounds?

• A. Alliteration
• B. Assonance
• C. Apostrophe
• D. Figure of Speech

Answer: (A)

Alliteration is the repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words. This pattern gives a sense of rhythm and can make phrases more memorable or musical. For example, in “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,” the same start-up consonant sound repeats, tying the words together and emphasizing the imagery. Alliteration focuses on those starting consonant sounds, not just any repeated sounds.

This differs from assonance, which repeats vowel sounds rather than consonants, as in “the rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.” Apostrophe isn’t about sound patterns at all; it’s a figure of speech where the speaker addresses someone or something that isn’t present. And figure of speech is a broad category that includes many devices beyond sound patterns, like metaphor, simile, or hyperbole. So the term that describes the repetition of initial consonant sounds is alliteration.