Rhyme
Literary term · say it RYME
Rhyme is the repetition of matching or similar sounds in words, usually from the last stressed vowel onward. It often links the ends of lines in poetry, but it can also appear within a line.
Two places to find rhyme
End rhyme
End rhyme occurs when words at the ends of different lines have matching or similar sounds. These echoes can link lines into pairs or larger patterns.
At the opening of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, an old sailor stops a wedding guest. The matching endings of the second and fourth lines help give this encounter a songlike beat.
In The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Internal rhyme
Internal rhyme occurs when rhyming words appear within the same line, rather than only at line endings.
In the opening line of The Raven, the narrator describes a gloomy midnight and his tired state. Two words within that line rhyme, giving the opening an audible echo.
In The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe
How to spot rhyme
- Read the passage aloud and listen for matching word endings.
- Check for echoes both within lines and at their ends.
- Mark the matching sounds to see whether a pattern repeats.
Do rhyming words have to be spelled alike?
No, rhyme depends on sound rather than spelling. Words such as blue and through rhyme despite their different endings on the page. Words such as love and move look alike but do not rhyme in usual modern pronunciation.
What is the difference between rhyme and rhythm?
Rhyme is an echo of word sounds, while rhythm is the movement of beats and pauses through language. A poem can have a strong rhythm without rhyming. Reading aloud helps separate the repeated sounds from the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables.
Related terms
Books where you can see Rhyme
200,000+ classics to read and hear, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
Try 3 months free
