- A literary device is a technique or tool used by writers to enhance their writing, convey meaning, or evoke emotion through stylistic and structural choices.
- Some of the most common literary devices include metaphors, which compare two things for deeper meaning; symbolism, where objects represent abstract concepts; foreshadowing, which hints at future events; alliteration, the repetition of initial sounds for effect; and irony, which contrasts expectations with reality.
- Literary elements and literary techniques are both types of literary devices. Literary elements refer to big-picture aspects like theme and setting that permeate the entire work. Literary techniques refer to specific applications like euphemisms and allusions used within sentences.
- Recognizing literary devices improves your ability to appreciate the artistry of a text, understand its deeper meanings, and grasp the author’s motives.
- Use literary devices in your writing sparingly and naturally, choosing moments where they can occur organically to avoid overwhelming or distracting readers.
Whether you’re honing your writing skills or preparing for an important English exam, understanding literary devices and how to identify them is essential. With so many literary devices, knowing how they’re used can get confusing.
To make things easier, we’ll cover some of the most common literary devices below. This comprehensive glossary with clear definitions and examples will help demonstrate how these devices are used effectively.
Table of contents
Literary devices vs. literary elements vs. literary techniques
30 common literary devices and their meanings
How to identify literary devices
How to use literary devices in your writing
What are literary devices?
Literary devices is a broad term for all the techniques, styles, and strategies an author uses to enhance their writing. With millennia of literature in hundreds of different languages, humankind has amassed many of these writing devices, which continue to evolve.
Literary devices can entail general elements that come back repeatedly in a work of literature and the specific treatment of words only used once. A literary device is anything that can take bland writing and turn it into rich, engaging prose.
Literary devices vs. literary elements vs. literary techniques
Literary elements and literary techniques are both types of literary devices.
Literary elements are “big-picture” literary devices that extend throughout the entire work, such as setting, theme, mood, and allegory. Literary techniques are the literary devices that deal with individual words and sentences, such as euphemisms and alliteration.
30 common literary devices and their meanings
While there are many literary devices, here are 30 of the most common.
1 Allegory
Allegories are narratives that represent something else entirely, like a historical event or significant ideology, to illustrate a deeper meaning. Sometimes, the stories are entirely fabricated and only loosely tied to their source. Other times, the individual characters act as fictional stand-ins for real-life historical figures.
2 Alliteration
Alliteration is the literary technique of using a sequence of words that begin with the same letter or sound for a poetic or whimsical effect.
3 Allusion
An allusion is an indirect reference to another figure, event, place, or work of art that exists outside the story. Allusions are made to famous subjects so that they don’t need explanation—the reader should already understand the reference.
4 Amplification
Amplification is the technique of embellishing a simple sentence with more details to increase its significance.
5 Anagram
An anagram is a word puzzle in which the author rearranges the letters in a word or phrase to create a new one.
6 Analogy
An analogy compares one thing to another to help explain a similarity that may not be obvious.
7 Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is when non-human things like animals or objects act human, exhibiting traits such as speech, thoughts, complex emotions, and sometimes even wearing clothes and standing upright.
8 Antithesis
Antithesis places two contrasting and polarized sentiments next to each other to accent both.
9 Chiasmus
The literary technique of chiasmus takes two parallel clauses and inverts the word order of one to create a greater meaning.
10 Colloquialism
In formal writing, colloquialism uses casual and informal speech, including slang, to make dialogue seem more realistic and authentic. It often incorporates respelling words and adding apostrophes to communicate the pronunciation.
11 Circumlocution
Circumlocution is when the writer deliberately uses excessive words and overcomplicated sentence structures to intentionally convolute their meaning. In other words, it means to write lengthily and confusingly on purpose.
12 Epigraph
An epigraph is an independent, pre-existing quotation that introduces a piece of work, typically with some thematic or symbolic relevance.
13 Euphemism
A euphemism is a soft and inoffensive word or phrase that replaces a harsh, unpleasant, or hurtful one for the sake of sympathy or civility, such as passed away or downsizing.
14 Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the technique of hinting at future events in a story using subtle parallels, usually to generate more suspense or engage the reader’s curiosity.
15 Hyperbole
Hyperbole uses exaggeration to add more power to words, often to an unrealistic or unlikely degree.
16 Imagery
Imagery refers to writing that invokes the reader’s senses with descriptive word choice to create a more vivid and realistic recreation of the scene in their mind.
17 Irony
Irony is a literary device where the intended meaning of words or events contrasts with their literal or expected meaning. It adds depth, humor, or poignancy by highlighting the difference between appearances and reality.
18 Metaphor
Similar to an analogy, a metaphor is a figure of speech that compares two different things to show their similarities by insisting that they’re the same.
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts…” —William Shakespeare, As You Like It
19 Mood
A story’s mood is the emotional response the author is targeting. A writer sets the mood not just with the plot and characters but also with tone and the aspects they choose to describe.
20 Motif
A motif is a recurring element in a story that holds some symbolic or conceptual meaning. It’s closely related to theme, but motifs are specific objects or events, while themes are abstract ideas.
21 Onomatopoeia
The literary term onomatopoeia refers to words that represent sounds, with pronunciations similar to those sounds.
22 Oxymoron
An oxymoron combines two contradictory words to give them a deeper and more poetic meaning.
23 Paradox
Similar to an oxymoron, a paradox combines two contradictory ideas in a way that, although illogical, still makes sense.
24 Personification
Personification is when an author metaphorically attributes human characteristics to nonhuman things like the weather or inanimate objects. Personification is strictly figurative, whereas anthropomorphism posits that those things really do act like humans.
25 Portmanteau
Portmanteau is the literary device of joining two words together to form a new word with a hybrid meaning.
26 Puns
Puns are a type of comedic wordplay involving homophones (different words that are pronounced the same) or two separate meanings of the same word.
27 Satire
Satire is a style of writing that uses parody and exaggeration to criticize the faults of society or human nature.
28 Simile
Like metaphors, similes also compare two things to highlight their similarities. However, the difference between similes and metaphors is that similes use like or as to soften the connection and explicitly show it’s just a comparison.
29 Symbolism
Closely related to motifs, symbolism occurs when objects, characters, actions, or other recurring elements take on a deeper, more profound meaning or represent an abstract concept.
30 Tone
Tone refers to the language and word choice an author uses with their subject matter, like a playful tone when describing children playing or a hostile tone when describing the emergence of a villain. If you’re confused about tone vs. mood, tone refers mainly to individual aspects and details, while mood refers to the emotional attitude of the entire piece of work.
How to identify literary devices
You don’t necessarily need to understand literary devices to enjoy a good book. Specific devices like personification, onomatopoeia, and anthropomorphism are still entertaining to read, even if you don’t know them by their proper name.
However, identifying literary devices enables you to reflect on the artistry of a piece of writing and understand the author’s motives. The more literary devices you recognize, the more you comprehend the writing. Recognizing literary devices helps you notice nuances and piece together a greater meaning that you otherwise might have missed.
To identify literary devices, it’s best to familiarize yourself with as many as you can. Your first step is knowing what to look for; from there, it just takes practice by reading different works and styles. With some experience, you’ll start to spot literary devices instinctively without disrupting your enjoyment or focus while reading.
How to use literary devices in your writing
The most important tip when using literary devices in your own creative writing is to use them naturally. Too many literary devices stacked upon each other can get distracting, so it’s best to use them only sparingly and at the most impactful moments.
Novice writers often shoehorn literary devices into their writing to make them seem like better authors. The truth is that misusing literary devices stands out more than using them correctly. Wait for when a literary device can be used organically instead of forcing them where they don’t belong.
Common literary devices FAQs
What is a literary device?
A literary device is a technique or tool writers use to enhance their writing, convey meaning, and evoke emotion through stylistic and structural choices.
What are some of the most common literary devices?
Some of the most common literary devices include:
- Metaphor: Comparing two things to highlight their similarities.
- Symbolism: Using objects or actions to represent abstract ideas.
- Foreshadowing: Hinting at events that will occur later in the story.
- Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds for effect.
- Irony: Creating a contrast between expectations and reality.
What’s the difference between literary elements and literary techniques?
Literary elements are overarching features like theme and setting that are present throughout a work. Literary techniques, such as euphemisms or alliteration, are specific tools used within sentences or smaller sections of the text.
Why is it important to recognize literary devices?
Recognizing literary devices enriches the reading experience by allowing readers to uncover deeper meanings in the text and understand the author’s motives.
How can I use literary devices effectively in my writing?
Use literary devices sparingly and organically, selecting moments where they naturally enhance the writing rather than forcing them, as overuse can overwhelm readers and distract from the story.
