Rhyme scheme
Literary term · say it RYME SKEEM
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of end rhymes in a poem or stanza. Letters mark the sounds: matching sounds share a letter, so ABAB means that the first and third lines rhyme, as do the second and fourth.
Three common rhyme schemes
Paired rhyme: AABB
Two neighbouring lines rhyme, followed by another rhyming pair. Each pair can give a thought a neat stopping point.
At the opening of The Tyger, the speaker pictures the fierce animal shining in darkness and asks what power could have shaped it. The four lines form two rhyming pairs.
In The Tyger by William Blake
Alternate rhyme: ABAB
The first and third lines rhyme, while the second and fourth share a different rhyme. The sounds alternate rather than sitting in pairs.
In the opening stanza of Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, evening falls as a ploughman heads home and the speaker remains in the gathering darkness. The line endings follow ABAB.
In Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard by Thomas Gray
Enclosed rhyme: ABBA
The first and fourth lines rhyme around a rhyming pair in the middle. The outer rhyme encloses the inner one.
In section VII of In Memoriam A.H.H., the grieving speaker stands outside his dead friend's house in the early morning. Each four-line stanza follows ABBA.
In In Memoriam A.H.H. by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
How to spot a rhyme scheme
- Read the line endings aloud and listen for matching sounds.
- Label the first sound A and each new sound with the next letter.
- Compare the letter patterns across the poem's stanzas.
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What is the difference between rhyme and rhyme scheme?
Rhyme is a match between sounds, while rhyme scheme is the pattern those matches form at line endings. Two words can rhyme on their own; identifying a scheme means following the rhymes across several lines.
Does every poem have a rhyme scheme?
No, many poems have no regular pattern of end rhymes. Blank verse has a regular meter but no end rhyme, while free verse need not follow either pattern. Occasional rhyming words do not necessarily establish a rhyme scheme.
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