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Sibilance

Rhetorical Devices
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Sibilance is the repetition of hissing or whispering sounds, especially s, sh, z, and soft c. It can create softness, secrecy, menace, or the sound of wind and speech.

Explore this topic in depth (1)

Sound Devices in Poetry — Sound devices are the patterns of speech that make a poem memorable to the ear as well as meaningful on the page. This guide explains how to hear alliteration, assonance, consonance and other effects, and how to describe what they do without reducing sound to a checklist.

Detailed Definition
Sibilance is a specialized form of sound repetition built from hissing consonants such as s, z, sh, zh, and sometimes soft c. A phrase like “the sea sighs in sleep” uses these sounds to create an audible texture. Because sibilants resemble whispers, surf, snakes, steam, or escaping breath, they carry strong sensory associations. Poets employ sibilance to make a line seem hushed, seductive, sinister, or fluid. Repeated sibilants can also slow the reader's pace and unite images through a delicate, continuous sound.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Silver snakes of rain slid softly through the grass” emphasizes repeated s sounds; “Stars whispered above the sleeping sea” uses sibilants to create hush; “The slow, soft surf sighed along the shore” imitates the sound of waves; “She scattered seeds beneath the secret moon” lets repeated s sounds suggest secrecy
Additional Notes
Sibilance is a sound pattern rather than a rhyme scheme. Repeated s, sh, z, and soft c sounds can evoke secrecy, wind, water, seduction, snakes, or menace, depending on context. Read the line aloud to hear whether the sounds create a smooth whisper or a tense hiss. Sibilance may work with alliteration, but it can occur in any position within nearby words.
Other Meanings of “Sibilance”
Also Known As
Hissing Alliteration Sibilant Sound Hush Sound Pattern
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