Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in nearby words, especially at the ends of words or in stressed syllables. It is a subtler relative of alliteration and rhyme.

In the phrase “stroke of luck” the final /k/ sound links the words. Poets use consonance to bind lines, to create sonic texture, or to underscore meaning through sound. It can appear at the beginning, middle, or end of words, though the most noticeable cases involve terminal consonants. Unlike full rhyme, consonance does not require matching vowels.

Consonance works quietly. Readers may feel the cohesion without consciously identifying the repeated sound. When combined with assonance or alliteration, it contributes to the denser music of a passage. Overdone, it can tip into tongue-twister territory; used with restraint, it gives language a finished, intentional quality.

When consonant sounds echo across neighboring words without forming full rhyme, the device is consonance.