This list includes 18 Literary devices that start with C, from “Cacophony” to “Couplet”. These literary devices that start with C commonly shape sound, rhythm, meaning, and structure across poetry and prose.
Literary devices that start with C are recognized techniques writers use to shape language, sound, and meaning. Many trace back to classical rhetoric and appear in both spoken and written traditions.
Below you’ll find the table with Device, Definition, and Example.
Device: The name of each literary device so you can find terms quickly and confirm spelling and variants.
Definition: A concise description explains what the device does and helps you recognize it in texts.
Example: A short contextual example shows the device in use so you can see its effect and tone.
Literary devices that start with C
| Name | Type | Typical use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cacophony | Sound device | Creating a harsh, jarring effect | My stick fingers click with a snicker. |
| Caesura | Rhythmic device | Poetry and verse drama | To be, or not to be – that is the question. |
| Catachresis | Figure of speech | Creating a striking or unusual metaphor | I will speak daggers to her, but use none. |
| Cataphora | Syntactic device | Building suspense or focusing attention | After *he* returned, John was never the same. |
| Catharsis | Emotional effect | Tragedy and dramatic literature | Feeling relief after a character’s intense downfall. |
| Chiasmus | Syntactic device | Rhetoric, poetry, and prose | Never let a Fool kiss you or a kiss fool you. |
| Chronographia | Descriptive figure | Narrative and historical writing | A vivid description of a bustling wartime morning. |
| Circumlocution | Figure of speech | Evasive speech or poetic expression | The instrument of scribes instead of “pen.” |
| Cliché | Trope | Unoriginal or formulaic writing | At the end of the day, it is what it is. |
| Climax | Rhetorical structure | Speeches, arguments, and dramatic prose | It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman! |
| Colloquialism | Diction | Creating realistic dialogue or informal tone | What’s up? Wanna grab a bite to eat? |
| Comic Relief | Structural device | Tragedy and drama | The gravedigger scene in Shakespeare’s *Hamlet*. |
| Conceit | Figure of speech | Metaphysical poetry and extended metaphors | John Donne comparing two lovers to a compass. |
| Concession | Rhetorical strategy | Argumentative writing and debate | Though my opponent has a point, his conclusion is flawed. |
| Conduplicatio | Figure of repetition | Speeches and persuasive writing | The law is broken. The very law that was meant to protect us. |
| Congeries | Figure of speech | Creating an overwhelming effect | He was a fiend, a monster, a devil, a beast. |
| Consonance | Sound device | Poetry and prose | The pitter-patter of little feet. |
| Couplet | Poetic structure | Poetry, especially for closure or emphasis | So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. |
Descriptions
Cacophony
The use of words with sharp, harsh, hissing, and unmelodious sounds—primarily consonants—to create a disturbing or unpleasant effect that mirrors the subject matter.
Caesura
A pause or break within a line of poetry, often marked by punctuation. Caesuras can vary in position and create rhythmic variety, emphasis, or a sense of natural speech.
Catachresis
A harsh or strained metaphor, often involving the use of a word in a context that makes it seem out of place. It can be used for dramatic effect or to express extreme emotion.
Cataphora
A figure of speech where an earlier expression refers to a forward expression in the discourse. It is the reverse of anaphora, building suspense by mentioning something before it is identified.
Catharsis
The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions. In literature, it refers to the audience’s emotional purging after witnessing a tragedy.
Chiasmus
A rhetorical device in which two or more clauses are balanced against each other by the reversal of their structures in order to produce an artistic effect, following an ABBA pattern.
Chronographia
A rhetorical term for a vivid, detailed description of a specific time. It aims to make the reader feel as if they are present during that moment, enhancing the setting and atmosphere.
Circumlocution
The use of an excessive number of words to express an idea, often to be deliberately vague or evasive. It can also be used poetically to avoid common words.
Cliché
An expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, even to the point of being trite or irritating.
Climax
A figure of speech in which words, phrases, or clauses are arranged in order of increasing importance or intensity. This is distinct from the climax of a plot’s narrative arc.
Colloquialism
The use of informal words, phrases, or slang in a piece of writing. Colloquialisms are used to create a conversational tone and reflect how people speak in a particular time or place.
Comic Relief
The inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension and provide a moment of levity for the audience.
Conceit
An elaborate or extended metaphor that links two seemingly unrelated objects or ideas in a surprising and clever way. It often forms the central theme of a poem or passage.
Concession
A rhetorical device where a speaker or writer acknowledges a point made by their opponent. It is used to show reasonableness and is often followed by a refutation of that point.
Conduplicatio
A figure of repetition in which the key word or words in one phrase, clause, or sentence are repeated at or near the beginning of successive sentences, clauses, or phrases for emphasis.
Congeries
A rhetorical device in which a writer or speaker heaps up a series of words or phrases, often synonyms or descriptions, to create an overwhelming, emphatic effect.
Consonance
The repetition of similar consonant sounds within a sentence or phrase, especially at the end of words. It creates a subtle musical effect and enhances the texture of the language.
Couplet
A pair of successive lines of verse, typically rhyming and of the same length. A closed couplet forms a complete grammatical unit or thought, often used for a concluding statement.