A figure of speech is a word or phrase used in a non-literal way to create a vivid effect, emphasize an idea, or evoke emotion in your reader. Figures of speech include metaphors, similes, hyperbole, irony, and dozens of other techniques that make writing more expressive than plain, literal language.
You use figures of speech every day without thinking about it. “I’m drowning in work” is a metaphor. “Quiet as a mouse” is a simile. “I’ve told you a million times” is hyperbole. These expressions work because they bypass logic and hit the reader’s imagination directly.
In this guide, you’ll find:
- 30+ figures of speech with clear definitions and examples
- The difference between figures of speech and figurative language
- How tropes and schemes work differently
- Tips for using figures of speech in your own writing
Here’s every type you need to know.
What Is a Figure of Speech?
A figure of speech is any deliberate departure from ordinary language to produce a stylistic effect. The phrase doesn’t mean what it literally says — it means something more vivid, more emotional, or more precise than the literal words could convey alone.
The term comes from the Latin figura, meaning “shape” or “form.” Classical rhetoricians like Aristotle and Quintilian catalogued dozens of these language shapes, and writers have been using them for thousands of years.
Figures of speech appear everywhere — in novels, poems, speeches, song lyrics, everyday conversation, and advertising. They’re how language stays alive instead of lying flat on the page.
Figures of Speech vs. Figurative Language
These two terms overlap but aren’t identical.
Figurative language is any language that goes beyond literal meaning. It’s the broad category.
Figures of speech are the specific techniques within figurative language. A metaphor is a figure of speech. So is irony. So is alliteration.
Think of it this way: figurative language is the umbrella, and figures of speech are the individual tools underneath it.
Tropes vs. Schemes
Rhetoricians divide figures of speech into two major families:
- Tropes change the meaning of words. A metaphor, for example, asks you to understand one thing as if it were something else. The word’s definition shifts.
- Schemes change the arrangement of words. Alliteration, parallelism, and anaphora don’t change what words mean — they change how words are structured for rhythmic or emphatic effect.
This distinction matters because tropes work on your imagination (how you think about language) while schemes work on your ear (how language sounds).
30+ Types of Figures of Speech
Comparison Figures (Tropes)
1. Metaphor A direct comparison stating that one thing is another, without using “like” or “as.”
Example: “Time is money.”
A metaphor forces the reader to hold two unlike ideas together and find the connection. Learn more about metaphors vs. similes.
2. Simile A comparison using “like” or “as” to connect two unlike things.
Example: “Her voice was smooth as silk.”
Similes give readers a gentler bridge between ideas than metaphors do.
3. Personification Giving human qualities, emotions, or actions to non-human things.
Example: “The wind whispered through the trees.”
Wind can’t whisper, but the image instantly tells you the sound was soft and secretive.
4. Analogy An extended comparison that explains an unfamiliar concept by relating it to a familiar one.
Example: “Writing a novel is like building a house — you need a blueprint before you lay the first brick.”
Analogies are teaching tools. They make complex ideas accessible.
5. Allegory A narrative where characters, events, and settings represent abstract ideas or moral concepts. Unlike a single metaphor, an allegory extends across an entire work.
Example: George Orwell’s Animal Farm uses a farm to represent the Russian Revolution.
Sound Figures (Schemes)
6. Alliteration Repeating the same consonant sound at the beginning of nearby words.
Example: “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
Alliteration creates rhythm and makes phrases memorable — which is why advertisers and poets both love it.
7. Assonance Repeating vowel sounds within nearby words.
Example: “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.”
Assonance creates internal music without the reader consciously noticing it.
8. Consonance Repeating consonant sounds within or at the end of nearby words (unlike alliteration, which focuses on beginning sounds).
Example: “Pitter-patter, pitter-patter.”
9. Onomatopoeia Words that imitate the sounds they describe.
Example: “The bacon sizzled in the pan.”
Onomatopoeia puts the reader’s senses inside the scene.
Emphasis and Exaggeration Figures
10. Hyperbole Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or humor. Not meant literally.
Example: “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
Hyperbole amplifies an emotion the reader already understands.
11. Litotes Understatement that affirms something by denying its opposite.
Example: “She’s not unkind” (meaning she’s kind).
Litotes sounds restrained and ironic. British English is full of it.
12. Understatement Presenting something as less important or less extreme than it is.
Example: Describing a hurricane as “a bit of a breeze.”
Where hyperbole turns the volume up, understatement turns it down — and the contrast with reality creates the effect.
Contrast and Contradiction Figures
13. Antithesis Placing opposite ideas side by side in a balanced grammatical structure.
Example: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” — Charles Dickens
Antithesis sharpens your point by showing both sides of a contrast at once.
14. Oxymoron Combining two contradictory words in a single phrase.
Example: “Bittersweet,” “deafening silence,” “living dead.”
Oxymorons capture complex emotions that can’t be expressed with simple, non-contradictory language.
15. Paradox A statement that appears to contradict itself but reveals a deeper truth.
Example: “The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know.”
Unlike oxymorons (which are two-word phrases), paradoxes are full statements with a logical twist.
16. Irony Expressing meaning through language that signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect. Irony in literature takes three main forms: verbal, situational, and dramatic.
Example: Saying “What lovely weather” during a downpour.
Substitution and Reference Figures
17. Metonymy Replacing the name of something with something closely associated with it.
Example: “The White House issued a statement” (meaning the president or administration).
18. Synecdoche Using a part to represent the whole, or the whole to represent a part.
Example: “All hands on deck” (hands = sailors).
Synecdoche is a specific type of metonymy.
19. Euphemism Substituting a mild or indirect expression for one considered harsh or blunt.
Example: “She passed away” instead of “she died.”
Euphemisms soften uncomfortable realities — but overusing them weakens your prose.
20. Allusion A brief, indirect reference to a well-known person, event, or work of art. Allusions assume shared cultural knowledge.
Example: “He had a Midas touch with investments.”
21. Apostrophe Directly addressing someone absent, dead, or something non-human as if it could respond. Learn more about the apostrophe as a literary device.
Example: “O Death, where is thy sting?”
Repetition and Structure Figures (Schemes)
22. Anaphora Repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
Example: “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields.” — Winston Churchill
Anaphora builds momentum. It’s one of the most powerful tools in speechwriting.
23. Epistrophe Repeating the same word or phrase at the end of successive clauses (the mirror of anaphora).
Example: “Government of the people, by the people, for the people.” — Abraham Lincoln
24. Parallelism Using the same grammatical structure across phrases or clauses for balance and rhythm.
Example: “Easy to learn, hard to master.”
25. Chiasmus Reversing the grammatical structure of one clause in the next.
Example: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” — John F. Kennedy
Wordplay Figures
26. Pun A play on words that exploits multiple meanings or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect.
Example: “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”
27. Double Entendre A phrase with two meanings — one surface-level and one (often risque) hidden meaning.
Example: “She said she’d make a man out of me. She was a good teacher.”
28. Malapropism Mistakenly using a word that sounds similar to the intended one.
Example: “For all intensive purposes” (instead of “intents and purposes”).
Other Important Figures
29. Rhetorical Question A question asked for effect, not expecting an answer.
Example: “Who doesn’t love a good book?”
Rhetorical questions engage readers by making them think, even when the answer is obvious.
30. Climax (Gradatio) Arranging ideas in ascending order of importance or intensity.
Example: “I came, I saw, I conquered.” — Julius Caesar
31. Anticlimax (Bathos) Building to an expected peak and then dropping to something trivial.
Example: “He lost his family, his home, and his favorite pen.”
The sudden deflation creates humor or ironic commentary.
32. Ellipsis Omitting words from a sentence while keeping the meaning clear.
Example: “Some prefer tea; others, coffee.”
33. Zeugma Using a single word to govern two or more words in different ways.
Example: “She broke his car and his heart.”
Why Do Writers Use Figures of Speech?
Figures of speech aren’t decoration. They serve real functions in your writing:
- Clarity. A well-chosen metaphor can explain a complex idea faster than a paragraph of literal description.
- Emotion. Personification and hyperbole make readers feel something, not just understand it.
- Rhythm. Schemes like alliteration and parallelism give prose a musical quality that keeps readers moving.
- Memorability. Nearly every famous quote in history relies on a figure of speech. “I have a dream” uses anaphora. “To be or not to be” uses antithesis.
- Compression. Figures of speech pack enormous meaning into few words. “All the world’s a stage” communicates in seven words what might take a philosopher seven pages.
How to Use Figures of Speech in Your Writing
Start with intention. Don’t sprinkle in metaphors because you think you should. Ask yourself what effect you want — emotion, clarity, humor, rhythm — then pick the right tool.
Use fresh comparisons. “Cold as ice” and “brave as a lion” are dead metaphors. Your reader’s brain skips right past them. Invent comparisons that surprise.
Match the figure to your voice. A thriller might lean on short, punchy antithesis. A literary novel might favor extended metaphors. A humor piece might thrive on hyperbole and bathos. The figure should feel organic to your genre and tone.
Don’t overdo it. One powerful metaphor outperforms three mediocre ones stacked together. If every sentence contains a figure of speech, none of them stand out.
Read your work aloud. Schemes (alliteration, parallelism, anaphora) are sound patterns. You’ll only know if they work when you hear them.
Common Mistakes With Figures of Speech
- Mixed metaphors. “We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, but right now we need to nip it in the bud.” Crossing bridges and nipping buds are two different images — pick one.
- Dead metaphors. Expressions like “foot of the mountain” and “hands of a clock” were once figures of speech. They’ve been absorbed into literal language and no longer create any effect.
- Forced figures. If a simile doesn’t add clarity or emotion, it’s filler. “The sunset was like a sunset” teaches nobody anything.
- Cliched hyperbole. “Literally dying” and “best thing ever” have been so overused they carry zero impact. Find your own exaggerations.
Figures of Speech in Everyday Language
You don’t need to be a novelist to use figures of speech. Everyday English is packed with them:
| Expression | Figure of Speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ”Break a leg” | Irony | Good luck |
| ”The early bird catches the worm” | Metaphor | Acting early gives advantage |
| ”Heart of gold” | Metaphor | Very kind person |
| ”Raining cats and dogs” | Hyperbole | Heavy rain |
| ”Actions speak louder than words” | Personification | What you do matters more |
| ”Lend me your ears” | Synecdoche / Metonymy | Listen to me |
Recognizing these patterns sharpens your reading comprehension and gives you more control over your own writing voice.
What Is the Most Common Figure of Speech?
The most common figure of speech is the metaphor. You encounter metaphors dozens of times every day — in conversation, advertising, news, and literature. Expressions like “time is money,” “broken heart,” and “life is a journey” are all metaphors so deeply embedded in language that most people don’t even register them as figurative.
What Is the Difference Between a Figure of Speech and an Idiom?
A figure of speech is a broad category of non-literal language techniques (metaphor, simile, irony, etc.). An idiom is a specific type of expression whose meaning can’t be understood from the individual words alone. All idioms contain figures of speech, but not all figures of speech are idioms. “Kick the bucket” is an idiom. “Her smile was sunshine” is a figure of speech (metaphor) but not an idiom.
FAQ
What is a figure of speech in simple terms?
A figure of speech is any expression that uses words in a non-literal way to make language more vivid, emotional, or effective. Instead of stating something plainly, you shape the language to create an effect — like saying “I’m over the moon” instead of “I’m happy.”
How many figures of speech are there?
Scholars have identified over 200 figures of speech across classical and modern rhetoric. The most commonly taught and used ones number around 20-30, including metaphor, simile, hyperbole, irony, personification, alliteration, and oxymoron.
Can a sentence have more than one figure of speech?
Yes. A single sentence can contain multiple figures of speech working together. For example, “The deafening silence screamed at me a million times” combines an oxymoron (deafening silence), personification (silence screamed), and hyperbole (a million times) in one sentence.
What is the difference between a trope and a scheme?
A trope changes the meaning of words (metaphor, irony, hyperbole). A scheme changes the structure or arrangement of words (alliteration, parallelism, anaphora). Tropes affect how you think about language; schemes affect how language sounds and flows.
Why are figures of speech important in writing?
Figures of speech make writing clearer, more emotional, more rhythmic, and more memorable. They compress complex ideas into vivid images, create patterns that please the ear, and forge connections between unlike things that help readers see the world differently. Nearly every memorable line in literature and oratory relies on at least one figure of speech.
