What are Examples of Alliteration?

Published November 2021 · Updated October 2026

Sally sells seashells by the seashore… sound familiar? 😆

Tongue twisters are where most kids first meet alliteration, and it’s no wonder they love it. It’s silly, it’s fun to say out loud, and it makes ordinary sentences pop. Here’s the thing, though: with so many types of figurative language to learn, kids can feel overwhelmed. Fun examples that make them laugh keep everyone focused.

Below you’ll find a kid-friendly definition, a quick table of examples, 40 alliteration examples in a sentence (sorted by theme, with a BIG food section), consonant blend examples, a practice set with answers, and easy ways to teach it in 2nd-6th grade or at home.

What Is Alliteration?

Alliteration is when several words close together start with the same sound. “Big brown bears bounce on blue balloons” uses alliteration with the /b/ sound.

Three quick tips for kids:

• It’s about the sound, not the letter. “Kind cats cuddle” works, because k and c make the same sound here. “Giant goats” doesn’t, because the gs sound different.
• The words don’t have to touch. Little words like the, in, or a can sit in between.
• Most alliteration uses consonant sounds, but matching vowel sounds work too: “Eager eagles eat eels in the evening.”

Alliteration Examples at a Glance

Alliteration Examples in a Sentence

Kids pay closer attention when the examples are about things they love. Pick the theme that fits your class! The repeated sound is in parentheses.

Food Alliteration Examples

• He dunked the delicious donut in dairy creamer. (d)
• Little Larry loves licking lemon lollipops. (l)
• Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. (p)
• Ben baked a big batch of banana bread. (b)
• Tina tasted ten tasty tacos on Tuesday. (t)
• Charlie chose chewy chocolate chip cookies. (ch)
• Granny’s gooey grilled cheese is great. (g)
• Sam sipped a super sweet strawberry smoothie. (s)

Sports Alliteration Examples

• The baseball bumped the batter’s bat. (b)
• The skilled soccer player scored a spectacular goal. (s)
• Football fever fuels fans. (f)
• Rachel ran right until she realized she was running round and round the track. (r)
• Hannah hit a huge home run. (h)

Holiday Alliteration Examples

• Rowdy red reindeer raced across the roof. (r)
• Jane juggled jack-o’-lanterns in the gym. (j)
• The ghouls and ghosts greeted the gangly goblins. (g)
• Ten tired turkeys tiptoed to the table. (t)
• Silly snowmen slid down the snowy slope. (s)

Animal Alliteration Examples

• Those lazy lizards are lying like lumps in the leaves. (l)
• Paula’s prancing pony outperformed all the others. (p)
• The parrot perched upon the pirate’s peacoat. (p)
• Seven slippery seals slid on the slick ice. (s)
• Eager eagles eat eels in the evening. (long e)

Weather and Nature Alliteration Examples

• The beautiful bouquet blossomed in the bright sun. (b)
• The tornado tossed the trailer like a trash can. (t)
• The wind was whistling through the weeping willows. (w)
• Penny planted the pretty pink poppies in the pot. (p)

Fairy Tale Alliteration Examples

• The fairy flew fast through the forest. (f)
• Cinderella’s dress dazzled with diamonds. (d)
• The prince baked a big cake and brought it to Cinderella’s birthday bash. (b)
• Wicked witches want wriggling worms to remove warts. (w)

School Alliteration Examples

• Bella brought her blue backpack on the bus. (b)
• Mr. Miller makes math more fun. (m)
• Pablo packed his purple pencil pouch. (p)
• Lots of little learners love the library. (l)

Consonant Blend Alliteration Examples

As kids get more confident, they can dig deeper with consonant blends. This shows them alliteration isn’t only about single letters. Two letters blended together can repeat too!

• Blake’s blue blanket blew across the blacktop. (bl)
• The kids slipped and slid down the slippery sledding hill. (sl)
• The friends love glitter glue because it glows at night. (gl)
• The flower petals flipped and flapped in the wind. (fl)
• Stella’s stinky stuffed animal stayed in the storage closet. (st)

Practice: Find the Alliteration (With Answers)

Read each sentence. Find the alliteration and name the repeated sound.

1. Carla’s cute cat curled up on the couch.
2. We went to watch the waves at the beach.
3. Funny frogs flipped and flopped in the pond.
4. The busy bees buzzed by the bright blossoms.
5. Silly Sam sang seven songs on Saturday.
6. Tommy took two turtles to the toy store.

Answer key: 1. Carla’s, cute, cat, curled, couch (k sound). 2. We, went, watch, waves (w). 3. Funny, frogs, flipped, flopped (f). 4. busy, bees, buzzed, by, bright, blossoms (b). 5. Silly, Sam, sang, seven, songs, Saturday (s). 6. Tommy, took, two, turtles, toy (t).

Easy Ways to Teach Alliteration

• Name game: Each student writes an alliteration sentence with their own name, like “Kind Kayla kicks the kickball.”
• Tongue twister challenge: Kids write their own tongue twister, then see who can say it three times fast.
• Picture book hunt: Read aloud and have kids give a thumbs-up when they hear alliteration.
• Task cards and pixel art: For ready-to-go practice, there are Alliteration Activities and Task Cards and an Alliteration Color-by-Number Pixel Art Activity. Both are packed with fun ways to find words that start with the same sound.

Homeschooling? Make it a mealtime game: everyone describes their food with alliteration. “Perfect purple plums,” anyone?

Alliteration FAQ

What is alliteration in simple words?

When words close together start with the same sound, like “silly snakes slither.”

What are 5 examples of alliteration?

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. Tina tasted ten tasty tacos. Football fever fuels fans. The wind was whistling through the weeping willows. Silly snowmen slid down the snowy slope.

Does alliteration have to start with the same letter?

No, it’s the same sound that counts. “Kind cats” is alliteration because both words start with a /k/ sound. “Giant goat” isn’t, because the g in giant sounds like a j.

What’s the difference between alliteration and a tongue twister?

A tongue twister is a phrase that’s hard to say fast, and most tongue twisters use alliteration. But alliteration doesn’t have to be hard to say.

Is alliteration figurative language?

It’s usually taught with figurative language (some teachers call it a sound device), right alongside onomatopoeia, similes, metaphors, and personification.

When kids are engaged, they want to learn more. So when you’re picking alliteration examples, think about YOUR students. Some classes go wild for food, and others want sports. There are endless sentences to choose from (and to create)! Your students will be smiling and laughing their way through alliteration.

If you don’t want to miss any upcoming lessons, join my email list! You’ll also get FREE Figurative Language Bell Ringers just for blog subscribers.

Want more? Check out my posts on onomatopoeia, personification, similes and metaphors, and idioms.

About Kirsten Tulsian

Kirsten Tulsian is an elementary educator and author with nearly 20 years of experience as a teacher and school counselor. She is the creator of Kirsten's Kaboodle and writes reading, writing, grammar, and social-emotional learning resources and workbooks for grades 2-6.

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