Rhymes In English (+Video and Quiz)

Rhymes occur when words end with the same sound(s). So, words ‘rhyme’ when they have the same sound at their ends.

See the basic and advanced rules of rhymes in English with examples as well as how to get the correct rhymes for words.

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What are the rules of rhymes?

1. Same letter spelling

Most words ending with the same spelling often ‘rhyme’ — end with same sound.

• say — VOWEL /eɪ/
• day — VOWEL /eɪ/
• play — VOWEL /eɪ/

2. Different letter spelling

Some words ending with different spellings can still ‘rhyme’ — end with same sound.

• through — VOWEL /uː/
• crew — VOWEL /uː/
• true — VOWEL /uː/

3. More of same sounds

The best rhymes end with more of the same sounds.

For example.

Which word rhymes with LAUGH?

1. cough
2. sniff
3. scarf
4. enough

NOTICE — the options all end with the same CONSONANT /f/ SOUND that “LAUGH” ends with.

But look further…

LAUGH ends with VOWEL /ɑː/ and /f/

• cough ends with VOWEL /ɒ/ and /f/
• sniff ends with VOWEL /ɪ/ and /f/
• scarf ends with VOWEL /ɑː/ and /f/
• enough ends with VOWEL /ʌ/ and /f/

So the best rhyme for LAUGH is “scarf” because they both end with more of the same sounds — /ɑː/ and /f/

Practice questions on rhymes in English

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