Glossary of Rhymes

To view types of rhyme usage, see: Rhyme Usage Glossary

Assonant rhyme: Rhyming of similar vowels but different consonants.
example: dip/limp
Consonant rhyme: Similar consonants but different vowels.
example: limp/lump
Eye rhyme: Based on spelling and not on sound.
example: love/move
Feminine rhyme (double, triple, extra-syllable, multi-syllable, extended): Differing beginnings followed by multiple rhyming syllables.
example: drinking/shrinking
Identical rhyme: Uses the same word to rhyme with itself however may hold a different meaning.
Light line: Rhyming of a stressed syllable with a secondary stress.
example: mat/combat
Macaronic rhyme: Rhyming of two words with different languages.
Masculine rhyme: Differing consonant sounds ending with identically stressed syllables.
example: report/support
Near rhyme (half, slant, approximate, off, oblique): Final consonant sounds the same but initial consonants and vowel sounds are different.
example: tought/sat
Perfect rhyme (exact, true, full): Begins with different sounds and end with the same.
example: pie/die
Rich rhyme (French for rime riche): Word that rhymes with its homonym.
example: blue/blew
Scarce rhyme: Rhyming of words with limited rhyming alternatives.
example: whisp/lisp
Wrenched rhyme: A stressed syllable with an unstressed one (occurs most often in ballads and folk poetry).
example: lady/a bee

Poetry and Quotations