Patterns of Sound The most common type of repetition associated with poetry is the repeating of sounds, particularly in rhyme. Aside from rhyme, other sound patterns in poetry that provide meaning include alliteration, assonance, and onomatopoeia. Alliteration When two or more words start with the same letter, they are said to be alliterative. Words that share this property tend to belong to the same concept or idea. For example, "sunrise" and "sunset" are both forms of sunlight, so those words would be considered alliterative. Assonance Two words that sound similar but don't start with the same letter are called asso-nate words. For example, "shimmer" and "espy" are both forms of sight, so those words would be considered asso-nate words. Onomatopoeia Words that describe sounds actual people make are called onomatopoeias. People use these words to express ideas about sounds they think might be interesting or important. Examples include bang!, clang!, creak!, drip! ,... These are just some examples of how different words can be used together to create a pattern of sound. Sounds can also be grouped by what they aren't rather than what they are. For example, words like piano and music both contain the sound /m/ but they are not identical sounds.