identical rhyme
C2Technical / Literary
Definition
Meaning
A type of rhyme in poetry where the sound of a stressed syllable and all following sounds are exactly the same, including the preceding consonant sound (if any), creating a repetition of the entire word or phrase.
In poetic analysis, identical rhyme refers to the repetition of the same word or homophone, which some traditional critics view as less sophisticated than perfect rhyme. It is also used deliberately for emphasis, humor, or musical effect in various poetic traditions.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is primarily used in the technical analysis of poetry and prosody. It is a sub-category of 'rhyme' and is often contrasted with 'perfect rhyme' (where initial consonants differ) and 'eye rhyme' (where spelling matches but sound does not).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in definition or technical usage. The term is used identically in British and American literary criticism.
Connotations
Neutral technical term in both variants. May carry a slight negative connotation in traditional prescriptive criticism, implying a 'lazy' or less artful technique.
Frequency
Equally low-frequency in both variants, confined to academic literary and poetic discourse.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The poem [VERB] an identical rhyme in the final couplet.Critics often [VERB] the use of identical rhyme.[NOUN PHRASE] is a classic example of identical rhyme.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None directly associated.”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in literary criticism, poetry workshops, and linguistics papers on phonology and verse form.
Everyday
Extremely rare. Would only be used in discussions about poetry or songwriting.
Technical
Core term in prosody and poetic analysis.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The poet deliberately identical-rhymes 'right' with 'rite' in the closing stanza.
- He was criticised for identical-rhyming the refrain.
American English
- The songwriter identical-rhymed 'see' with 'sea' for a playful effect.
- Modern poets often freely identical-rhyme for thematic emphasis.
adverb
British English
- The words were used identically-rhyming at the line ends.
- The last two lines rhyme almost identically.
American English
- He rhymed the words identically, which some found jarring.
- The chorus repeats, rhyming identically each time.
adjective
British English
- The identical-rhyme effect created a haunting echo.
- It was an identical-rhyme couplet.
American English
- Her use of identical-rhyme technique was bold.
- The identical-rhyme scheme felt intentionally simplistic.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The words 'blue' and 'blew' can make an identical rhyme in a song.
- Repeating the word 'love' at the end of two lines is a simple identical rhyme.
- Some poets avoid identical rhyme, considering it less challenging than finding true rhymes.
- The poem's final couplet uses an identical rhyme on the word 'end', which emphasises the theme of finality.
- While traditional prosody often frowns upon it, modernist poets employed identical rhyme to subvert expectations and create semantic resonance.
- The critic noted that the pervasive use of identical rhyme in the sonnet sequence created a claustrophobic, obsessive lyrical quality.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'IDENTICAL' means 'the same'. An IDENTICAL RHYME is when the rhyming words sound exactly the SAME.
Conceptual Metaphor
RHyme is a mirror. Identical rhyme is a reflection of a word onto itself.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not translate as 'идентичная рифма' in general contexts; the specific technical term in Russian poetics is 'тавтологическая рифма' (tautological rhyme) or 'рифма-повтор' (rhyme-repetition).
- The concept exists in Russian poetry but is less frequently singled out with a dedicated, universally agreed-upon term.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing it with 'perfect rhyme' (e.g., cat/hat). Identical rhyme requires the *entire* sound sequence to be the same (e.g., cat/cat or bear/bare).
- Using the term to describe any repetitive sound pattern, rather than specifically a rhyme in the terminal position of poetic lines.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following pairs is the clearest example of an identical rhyme?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
In strict traditional forms, it was often discouraged as a less skillful form of rhyme. However, in modern and contemporary poetry, it is widely accepted and used deliberately for specific effects like emphasis, humour, or thematic repetition.
Repetition is a broader term for repeating any word or phrase anywhere in a text. Identical rhyme is a specific type of repetition where the repeated (or homophonic) words occur in the rhyming positions at the ends of metrical lines.
Yes. In identical rhyme, the key factor is identical sound, not identical spelling. Therefore, homophones like 'right/write', 'sea/see', or 'pair/pear' are classic examples of identical rhyme.
Very similar. 'Rime riche' (French for 'rich rhyme') is a broader term that can include identical rhymes but often specifically refers to rhymes where not just the vowel+final consonant sounds match, but also the preceding consonant sounds (the 'consonne d'appui'), which is the definition of identical rhyme. In practical literary discussion, the terms are often used interchangeably in English.