This list includes 19 Literary devices that start with H, from “Haiku” to “Hysteron Proteron”. These devices range from poetic forms to rhetorical figures and often shape tone, rhythm, and argument.
Literary devices that start with H are stylistic tools writers use to shape meaning, sound, and emphasis. For example, the haiku’s three-line form influenced Western poets in the 20th century.
Below you’ll find the table with Device, Definition, Example, and Notes.
Device: The device name helps you locate specific terms and choose which techniques to study or use in your writing.
Definition: A concise explanation that tells you what the device does and why it matters in context.
Example: A brief illustrative sentence shows the device in use so you can recognize or model it.
Notes: Additional points on usage, variations, or historical context that help you apply the device effectively.
Literary devices that start with H
| Name | Alternate names | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haiku | Hokku | Poetic form | An old silent pond… / A frog jumps into the pond… / Splash! Silence again. |
| Hamartia | Tragic flaw, fatal flaw, error of judgment | Narrative device | Macbeth’s unchecked ambition is the hamartia that leads to his downfall. |
| Half rhyme | Slant rhyme, near rhyme, imperfect rhyme, approximate rhyme | Sound device | Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul (Dickinson) |
| Hendiadys | Two for one | Figure of speech | He spoke with flash and outbreak. (meaning fiery outbreak) |
| Heroic Couplet | Closed couplet | Poetic form | So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, / So long lives this… |
| Homily | Sermon, moral lecture | Literary form | The character delivered a long homily on the virtues of honesty. |
| Homograph | Heteronym | Figure of speech | The tear in her dress caused a tear in her eye. |
| Homonym | Homophone and homograph | Figure of speech | The bear could not bear the heat. |
| Homophone | Phonetic pun | Sound device | The knight rode through the night. |
| Horatian Satire | Gentle satire | Literary mode | Alexander Pope’s “The Rape of the Lock” gently mocks high society. |
| Horatian Ode | Ode | Poetic form | John Keats’s “Ode to Autumn” is a famous Horatian ode. |
| Hubris | Arrogance, excessive pride | Character device | Victor Frankenstein’s hubris is his belief that he can conquer death. |
| Hymn | Anthem, paean, song of praise | Poetic form | The congregation sang the devotional hymn “Amazing Grace.” |
| Hypallage | Transferred epithet | Figure of speech | I had a restless night. (The person was restless, not the night.) |
| Hyperbole | Exaggeration, overstatement, auxesis | Figure of speech | I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. |
| Hypophora | Anthypophora, rogatio | Rhetorical device | What should we do? We should fight back. |
| Hypotaxis | Subordination | Syntactic device | Because it was raining, we stayed inside, though we wanted to go. |
| Hysteron Proteron | Inversion of order, putting the cart before the horse | Figure of speech | He was bred and born in Brooklyn. (reversed logical order) |
| Hemistich | Half-line | Poetic device | In “Beowulf,” a caesura divides each line into two hemistichs. |
Descriptions
Haiku
A Japanese poetic form of three unrhymed lines, composed of 17 syllables in a 5, 7, 5 pattern. Haiku often focus on nature and a single, poignant moment.
Hamartia
A fatal flaw, error, or misstep that leads to the downfall of a tragic hero. It is the character’s own inner weakness that brings about their ruin.
Half rhyme
A rhyme in which the stressed syllables of ending consonants match, but the preceding vowel sounds do not. It creates a subtle, unsettling, or incomplete feeling.
Hendiadys
A figure of speech where a single complex idea is expressed by two words connected by “and,” such as two nouns, instead of a noun and a modifying adjective.
Heroic Couplet
A pair of rhyming lines written in iambic pentameter. This form was especially popular in the 17th and 18th centuries for epic and narrative poetry.
Homily
A speech or writing that gives moral or spiritual advice. In literature, it often refers to a tedious or preachy lecture within a story.
Homograph
Words that are spelled the same but have different meanings and may have different pronunciations. Homographs are a tool for creating puns and wordplay.
Homonym
A word that is spelled and pronounced the same as another word but has a different meaning. Homonyms are a common source of puns and ambiguity.
Homophone
Words that are pronounced the same but have different meanings or spellings. They are frequently used in literature for wordplay and creating double meanings.
Horatian Satire
A form of satire that uses light-hearted, gentle humor and witty mockery to identify and ridicule folly or vice, aiming to correct rather than condemn.
Horatian Ode
A type of lyric poem with a consistent stanza pattern, meter, and rhyme scheme. It is often intimate, reflective, and addresses a specific subject or person.
Hubris
Extreme pride and arrogance shown by a character, which ultimately brings about their downfall. In Greek tragedy, it was seen as a defiance of the gods.
Hymn
A song or poem of praise, adoration, or prayer, typically with a religious or spiritual theme. Hymns often express collective reverence and communal feeling.
Hypallage
A figure of speech in which an adjective or participle is grammatically applied to a noun other than the one it is intended to describe, creating a vivid image.
Hyperbole
The intentional and obvious exaggeration of a statement for emphasis, comedic effect, or to create a strong impression. It is not meant to be taken literally.
Hypophora
A rhetorical device where a writer raises a question and then immediately provides an answer. It’s used to guide the audience and introduce a topic.
Hypotaxis
The use of subordinate clauses in sentences to express complex logical and temporal relationships. It creates formal, layered sentences.
Hysteron Proteron
A figure of speech in which the natural or logical order of events or ideas is reversed. What should come last is put first for emphasis or effect.
Hemistich
A half-line of verse, separated by a caesura (a pause). It is a key structural component in classical and Old English poetry.