The final two lines of the poem are an example of epizeuxis, or the repetition of words in succession. Frost applies epizeuxis to not only emphasize the length of the speaker’s remaining journey, but to convey a sense of the speaker’s regret that he cannot remain in this peaceful place.

The serene, quiet tone that builds through the poem is disrupted by the return of focus to the speaker himself the final stanza. Frost’s description of the woods as “lovely, dark and deep,” as well as the many miles left to travel, suggests that the speaker’s journey may represent life itself—while the woods, in their darkness and silence, represent death.

The adjective “downy” means to be fluffy and soft, much like the feathers that are often used to fill blankets and pillows. Frost’s description of snowflakes as soft and comforting, rather than cold, further develops the poem’s tranquil tone.

Lines nine and eleven use enjambment, in which a thought or phrase that begins in one line flows into subsequent lines. In conjunction with sibilance, the momentum of enjambment intensifies readers’ anticipation for what might happen to disrupt the quiet evening—or, simply, whether the horse’s question will be answered.

The entirety of the third stanza features sibilance, or the repetition of words containing the letter “s” so that the lines make a hissing sound when read aloud. Through use of the softly sibilant words “gives,” “his,” “harness,” “bells,” “ask,” “is,” “some,” “mistake,” “sound’s,” “sweep,” and “easy,” Frost augments the poem’s tranquil tone in a way that subtly builds anticipation. The stanza ends on the phrase “downy flake,” which doesn’t include any sibilance, preparing readers for a shift in focus to occur in the poem’s final stanza.

Frost uses anthropomorphism, or the attribution of human thoughts and behaviors to animals or otherwise nonhuman things, in his description of the speaker’s horse. The speaker imagines his horse thinking as a human would about the unusual place in which they’ve stopped. Similarly, in the next stanza, the horse asks “if there is some mistake” by shaking his harness bells. Here, anthropomorphism establishes a symbolic bridge between humans and nature—in this case, a man and his horse—by suggesting that there are experiences or qualities shared by both.

The adjective “queer” means strange, or differing from what is conventional or expected. The speaker imagines that his horse finds it strange that they would stop in the middle of nowhere, suggesting that the speaker is engaging in unusual or unexpected behavior.

Frost employs assonance, or the repetition of vowel sounds, in this line. Repeating the “ee” sound in the words “he,” “see,” “me,” and “here” lends musicality to the words when read aloud.

This line features alliteration, or the repetition of consonant sounds. The repetition of the soft consonant sounds of “h” and “th” in “his,” “house,” “the,” and “though” reinforces rhythm while also seeming to mimic the softness of the snowy evening.

The poem begins with an end-stopped line, or a line that concludes with punctuation. Frost establishes a slow, heavy rhythm by concluding the statement “Whose woods these are I think I know” with a period. Such heaviness generates a thoughtful tone, potentially suggesting that the speaker is confiding something secretive to the reader.