In music, consonance creates rest, balance, and a feeling that simultaneous pitches belong together. In poetry, consonance may describe harmonious sound relationships, including repeated consonant patterns that support a mood of cohesion. It can also work figuratively: images, ideas, or voices are in consonance when they reinforce one another. A poem may use consonant sound and meaning to make a moment feel settled without making it emotionally simple.

Consonance describes tones that blend smoothly and create a feeling of stability or agreement. In poetry, consonance also names the repetition of consonant sounds, especially within or at the ends of nearby words, as in “blank” and “think.” This sound pattern can strengthen rhythm and cohesion without producing full rhyme. Consonance is distinct from alliteration, which usually repeats initial consonants, and from assonance, which repeats vowel sounds.