RHYME SCHEME

WHAT IS RHYME SCHEME?

Rhyme Scheme is the term we use to refer to the

pattern of rhyming words in a poem or a song.
When you are asked to identify the rhyme scheme
for a poem, you’ll need to look at the last word in
each line of poetry and determine which words
rhyme with one another.
HOW IS RHYME SCHEME WRITTEN?

To record rhyme scheme, you’ll assign a letter of the

alphabet to each rhyming sound. Words that have the
same sound get the same letter.
For example:
A tisket, a tasket
A pretty yellow basket
“Tasket” is the first end word, so it becomes “a.”
“Basket” rhymes with “tasket,” so it is also “a.” The
rhyme scheme for this couplet is “aa.”
RHYME SCHEME TYPES

There are a number of rhyme schemes

used in poetry. Some of the most popular
of which include:
 ALTERNATE RHYME

It is an ABAB rhyme scheme. It rhymes as “ABAB

CDCD EFEF…”
Example: The people along the sand a
All turn and look one way. b
They turn their back on the land. a
They look at the sea all day. b
(Robert Frost)
 MONORHYME

It is a poem in which every line uses the same

rhyme scheme: “AAAAA..”
Example:
The prettiest day in the world today. a
A tiny bit of wind makes me feel gay. a
On this sweet sunlit porch I intend to stay. a
To enjoy this fantastic November day. a
 COUPLET
 It usually contains two-line stanzas with the “AA”
rhyme scheme, which often appears as “AA BB
CC ..”

Example: I was angry with my friend a

I told my wrath, my wrath did end a
I was angry with my foe b
I told it not, my wrath did grow. b
(William Blake)
 TRIPLET
It uses the rhyme scheme : AAA BBB CCC DDD …
Example: 'Whenas in silks my Julia goes, a

Then, then, methinks, how sweetly flows a

The liquefaction of her clothes. a

Next, when I cast mine eyes, and see b

That brave vibration, each way free, b

O, how that glittering taketh me! b

(Robert Herrick)
 ENCLOSED RHYME
It uses the rhyme scheme : “ABBA”
 Example:
Others abide our question. Thou art free. a
We ask and ask—Thou smilest and art still, b
Out-topping knowledge. For the loftiest hill, b
Who to the stars uncrowns his majesty, a
(William Shakespeare)
 LIMERICK

A poem uses five lines with a rhyme scheme of “AABBA ”  

Example: There was a young lady of Lynn, a

Who was so uncommonly thin a

That when she essayed b

To drink lemonade b

She slipped through the straw and fell in. a

 BALLADE

It contains three stanzas with the rhyme scheme

of « ABAB BCBCB » followed by « BCBC »
 TERZA RIMA

Also known as chain rhyme, it uses three-line

stanzas that go as follows:
« ABA BCB CDC DED » and so on..
 POETIC FORMS WITH SET RHYME
SCHEME

There are even certain kinds of poems that are written

with a specific rhyme scheme, like the
• Shakespearean sonnet, which is
abab cdcd efef gg
• And the Italian sonnet, which is
abba abba cde cde

(The breaks between groups of letters represent a new

stanza, but the rhyme scheme does NOT start over at “a.”)
WHY DO POETS USE RHYME SCHEMES?

Poets use rhyme schemes for many of the same reasons they use rhyme:
because it makes language sound more beautiful and thoughtfully-
composed, like music. In the majority of rhyme schemes, rhymes repeat at
regular intervals, increasing both the rhythm and musicality of poetry and
in the process making the poem more pleasant to listen to, easier to
understand, and more memorable.
Poets also choose specific rhyme schemes for different purposes that can
be related to the theme(s) of their poems.
 GOT IT?

Great! Now when a question comes up asking

you to identify the rhyme scheme of a poem or the
lyrics of a song, you’ll know just what to do!
NOW LET’S TRY IT OUT!