Rhyme is a poetic device that involves the repetition of similar-sounding words, typically at the end of a verse line. Rhymed words conventionally share all sounds following the words last stressed syllable. Rhyme is one of the first poetic devices that we become familiar with, but it can be a tricky poetic device to work with. There are different types of rhyme, and many poems, especially sonnets and sestinas, follow strict rhyme schemes with regular patterns. Some common types of rhyme include:

• Full Rhyme: This is when two words share the exact assonance and number of syllables. It is also known as an exact rhyme, a full rhyme, or a true rhyme.

• Half Rhyme: This is when two words share similar sounds but are not exact matches. It is also known as a slant rhyme, off-rhyme, or near rhyme.

• Eye Rhyme: This is when two words look like they should rhyme because they are spelled similarly, but they do not actually sound alike when spoken.

• Internal Rhyme: This is when a word from the middle of a line is rhymed with a word at the end of the line.

• Masculine Rhyme: This describes those rhymes ending in a stressed syllable, such as “hells” and “bells.” It is the most common type of rhyme in English poetry.

• Feminine Rhyme: This applies to the rhyming of one or more unstressed syllables, such as “dicing” and “enticing” .

Rhyming patterns can be in couplets where pairs of lines rhyme or can be alternate where every other line rhymes. Rhyme was traditionally used in poetry for centuries, but in recent years poets have started using free verse. Poets use rhyme to create more musical-sounding verse to convey a specific feeling, create a feeling of unity, or even to make the poem sound more upbeat or more haunting, depending on how it’s used.