Sibilance
Sibilance: The repetition of hissing 's', 'sh' and 'z' sounds for a whispering, slippery or sinister effect.
Sibilance is the sound of whispering built into a sentence; poets use it for silk, secrets and snakes, and horror writers for everything that slides.
Sibilance examples
"And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain."
— The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe
"When to the sessions of sweet silent thought / I summon up remembrance of things past."
— Sonnet 30, Shakespeare
"Something slid past the skirting board, softly, insistently."
— original example
"The sea-surge hissed against the shingle."
— original example
Spot the Sibilance
Score: 0/0The repetition of hissing 's', 'sh' and 'z' sounds for a whispering, slippery or sinister effect.
"And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain."
Which work is this from?
Explore every literary device in the poetic devices hub.
Sibilance: common questions
What is sibilance in literature?
The repetition of hissing 's', 'sh' and 'z' sounds for a whispering, slippery or sinister effect. Sibilance is the sound of whispering built into a sentence; poets use it for silk, secrets and snakes, and horror writers for everything that slides.
What is an example of sibilance?
A classic example is "And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain." (The Raven, Edgar Allan Poe).
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