Types of Rhyme

If you write poetry, you are no stranger to rhyme. But rhyme goes further than just making the end words in lines of a poem rhyme. It can add to the flow of a poem as well. Below are the different types of rhyme and some examples of each.

1. End rhyme: the rhyming of the end words of lines of a poem.
   Example: Thoughts like muddied water pooled,
   and sloshed around my head and dueled,
2. Internal rhyme: the rhyming of two words within the same line of poetry. Or it can be the rhyming of words within lines across lines of a poem.
   Example: The light of day so pure and bright,
   as I lay upon the hay,
   Example: The light of day uplifts and blooms,
   so bright and easy within my heart,
3. Slant rhyme: this is sometimes called imperfect or partial rhyme because it uses similar but not identical sounds.
   Example: On rose petals there I sat
   afloat in nature’s scented grasp,
4. Eye rhyme:  an imperfect rhyme in which two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently.
   Example: home, come
   bough, though
   love, move
   comb, bomb
5. Identical rhyme: using the exact same word in the rhyming position.
   Example: Against the wall he moved to lean,
   and watch the cattle so thin and lean,
6. Masculine rhyme: when the rhyme is on the final syllable of the two rhyming words. Usually they are monosyllabic words or a rhyme only occurring in the final syllable
   Example: look, took
   cat, sat
   rare, despair
7. Feminine rhyme: when not one but two syllables rhyme. The first syllable is stressed and the second syllable is unstressed.
   Example: measles, weasels— Notice that the first syllables in each of these words rhyme and is stressed, whereas the second syllable in each word rhymes but is unstressed.
   

The above types of rhyme are seven of the most popular. I’m sure you’ve used some of them already without necessarily knowing the names of them. Have fun with them.