The repetition of consonant sounds, especially at the ends of words, as in “blank and think,” is called consonance. The repeated consonants create an audible link even when the vowel sounds differ.
Consonance is a common poetic and lyrical sound effect. In “blank” and “think,” the ending consonant sounds help the words echo one another. In strict consonance-based rhyme, the consonants may match while the vowels change, producing effects often associated with half rhyme, slant rhyme, or near rhyme.
The position of the repeated sound matters when distinguishing consonance from related devices. Alliteration repeats consonant sounds at the beginnings of nearby words, while consonance can occur at the beginning, middle, or end. Assonance repeats vowel sounds instead, as in a pattern built around long “o” sounds.
A specialized form is sibilance, which repeats hissing consonants such as /s/ and /sh/. Writers use consonance to add rhythm, emphasis, cohesion, or a subtle musical texture without requiring a full rhyme.