Sibilance: Definition & Examples

Sibilance is a literary device and a form of consonance that involves the repetition of “s’ sounds. These “s” sounds don’t necessarily have to be the letter “s.” It includes any word that reproduces this sound.

These are known as sibilant sounds. They include the following:

1. "S"

2. "Sh"

3. "Z"

4. "Ch"

There are those who even argue that the "th" sound can be counted as a sibilant sound. In any event, the purpose of sibilance is to reproduce the effect of a hiss, the sounds associated with snakes, as well as whispering sounds associated with human voices, wind, or water. 

For example, the lines from the famous anonymous song is an example of sibilance: 

Splashing, dashing, restless sea,

Never still you seem to be

The repetition of “s” sound, which have been highlighted, in combination with the assonance associated with the short “i” sound in words like “splashing,” “dashing,” and “still” recreates the effect of rushing water that we associated with the sea.

Sibilance is also used because it sounds pleasant. It can be described as having a sonorous effect on the listener. In this article, we are going to explore examples of sibilance in literature, including D. H. Lawrence’s poem “Snake”, as well as in The Jungle Book  (1894) by Rudyard Kipling.

Kaa, who uses sibilance heavily, from Disney's 1967 adaptation of The Jungle Book.

Examples of sibilance in Snake by D. H. Lawrence

Lawrence’s poem "Snake" is an excellent example of sibilance being used to great effect. The entire poem is a good example of form complementing function. The poem is made up of long lines that imitate the length and movement of a snake. It does the same with its use of sibilance. 

Sibilant sounds are closely associated with the hissing of a snake. The poet recreates these sounds throughout the text. A good example is in Stanzas 1–3: 

A snake came to my water-trough

On a hot, hot day, and I in pyjamas for the heat,

To drink there.

In the deep, strange-scented shade of the great dark carob tree

I came down the steps with my pitcher

And must wait, must stand and wait, for there he was at the trough before me.

He reached down from a fissure in the earth-wall in the gloom

And trailed his yellow-brown slackness soft-bellied down, over the edge of the stone trough

And rested his throat upon the stone bottom,

And where the water had dripped from the tap, in a small clearness,

He sipped with his straight mouth,

Softly drank through his straight gums, into his slack long body,

Silently.

In addition to the “s’ sounds, the placement of “t” at the end of words like “must” also enhance the sibilant effect. This effect is further highlighted by the assonance associated with the short “i” sound. For example, we can see this in the line “He sipped with his straight mouth.” 

Lawrence uses sibilance in the poem to create onomatopoeia. The snake is described as silent in the poem. However, in the popular imagination, we associate snakes with the hissing sound that they make. It is the first thing that comes to mind when we think of snakes. Lawrence’s use of sibilance takes advantage of this popular association, making the poem interesting and fun to read.

Portrait of D. H. Lawrence, author of "Snake."

More examples of sibilance in poetry

Sibilance,although frequently associated with the hissing sound that a snake makes, can also be used to recreate the sound of rustling leaves or wind. 

We see an example of this in Thomas Hardy’s “The Voice”: 

Can it be you that I hear? Let me view you, then,

Standing as when I drew near to the town

Where you would wait for me: yes, as I knew you then,

Even to the original air-blue gown!

Or is it only the breeze, in its listlessness

Travelling across the wet mead to me here,

You being ever dissolved to wan wistlessness,

Heard no more again far or near?

In “The Voice” (1914), Hardy believes that he hears the voice of his dead wife in the wind rustling through the leaves or the grasses. The third stanza, with the bolded words, demonstrates how he recreates the sound effect of wind through trees. 

The word “breeze” has been carefully chosen by the poet because of its “natural onomatopoeia.” In short, the word already sounds like what it describes. In particular, the “z” sound in combination with the short “i” sound helps in echoing the sound of the wind. 

The word “listlessness” in addition to the additional assonance associated with the short vowel “i” sound in “in” and “it” also add to the sibilant effect. In addition, the rhyme listlessness/wistlessness are made up of words that one could say were old-fashioned, even at the time that the poem was written.

However, they are well-chosen exactly because they are a good example of the sound one hears of loud wind continuously blowing through grasses or trees. 

Derek Walcott's poem "XIV" (1984) also makes clever use of sibilance:

With the frenzy of an old snake shedding its skin,

the speckled road, scored with ruts, smelling of mold,

twisted on itself and reentered the forest

where the dasheen leaves thicken and folk stories begin.

The poet here is describing a trip from the city to the countryside forest with his twin brother to visit a relative notorious for her scary folktales. The poet uses sibilance when describing the road as a snake. The road is compared to a snake because the snake is a mysterious creature that often features in myths, folktales, and magic.

The snake-road is portrayed as shedding its skin because a transformation is taking place. Entering the world of the forest is likened to leaving the boring real world and entering a world of wonder and magic. It is a world of excitement. The word 'frenzy" is emphasized by the occurrence of sibilance in surrounding words like "shedding' and "skin."

It captures both the excitement and thrill of listening to scary stories as the boys look forward to meeting their mysterious story-telling relative. The last line "where the dasheen leaves thicken and folk stories begin" also reproduces the sound effect of wind rustling through the leaves by combining sibilance with the assonance of short "i" sounds.

Another good example of sibilance is Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 (1609):

When to the sessions of sweet silent thought

I summon up remembrance of things past,

I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought,

And with old woes new wail my dear time's waste:

Sometimes, sibilance is used for its sonorous effect. The repetition of “s” sounds simply sounds pleasant to the ear. Perhaps, it's because we associate it with calming sounds such as the sound of the ocean.

In any event, the example from Shakespeare is a good example of sibilance being used for sonorous effect. It simply makes the first two lines of the poem sound good, especially when considering sibilance at the end of the word “remembrance.” 

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Kaa of the The Jungle Book

Kaa, an anthropomorphic snake features heavily in The Jungle Book. The Jungle Book is a collection of stories written by the British writer Rudyard Kipling and was published in 1894. It was later adapted into an animated tale by Disney in 1967. Kaa, a python, is one of the major characters.

In both the book and Disney adaptation, Kaa is associated with the use of sibilance. This short video clip from the Disney adaptation of the book shows Kaa using sibilance in trying to trick Mowgli into becoming a meal:

The character comically stresses his s's in the line "Yess, man-cub. So nice to see you again. Tsss. Tsss. Tsss . . ." (which is the sound of sibilant snake laughter I guess). Here is an excerpt from the book showing Kaa as menacing and stealthy without the comedy, which also uses sibilance:

Generations of monkeys had been scared into good behavior by the stories their elders told them of Kaa, the night-thief, who could slip along the branches as quietly as moss grows, and steal away the strongest monkey that ever lived;

Sibilance is used here to emphasize the stealth used by Kaa in stealing away the strongest monkey that ever lived. In particular, the phrase "slip along the branches as quietly as moss grows" recreates the soft and silent slithering of Kaa through the rustling leaves of tree branches as he goes in for the kill.

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Cite this EminentEdit article

Antoine, M. (2025, May 13). Sibilance: Definition & Examples. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/sibilance-definition-examples