rich rhyme: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowFormal, Literary, Technical
Quick answer
What does “rich rhyme” mean?
A poetic rhyme where the matching sounds go beyond the final stressed vowel to include one or more preceding consonants (consonance), also known as rime riche.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A poetic rhyme where the matching sounds go beyond the final stressed vowel to include one or more preceding consonants (consonance), also known as rime riche.
In strict prosody, a rhyme where the rhyming phonemes and any preceding consonants are identical (e.g., 'raise'/'raze'), creating a homophonic or near-homophonic effect. In broader usage, it can refer to any rhyme that is particularly full, sonorous, or elaborate in its sound correspondence.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in definition or usage. The term is used identically in academic and literary circles in both regions.
Connotations
Technical, precise, scholarly. Slightly more common in UK discussions of French verse forms due to historical literary ties.
Frequency
Extremely low frequency in general discourse. Its occurrence is almost entirely confined to specialist texts on poetry, phonology, or literary analysis.
Grammar
How to Use “rich rhyme” in a Sentence
The poet [employs/uses] a rich rhyme between X and Y.The term '[rich rhyme]' describes...A classic [example] of rich rhyme is...Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “rich rhyme” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The Victorian poets were fond of rich rhyming, often pairing 'time' with 'thyme'.
- He deliberately rich-rhymed 'seen' and 'scene' for a punning effect.
American English
- Modern poets less frequently rich-rhyme words like 'air' and 'heir'.
- She chose to rich rhyme 'raise' with 'raze' to highlight contradiction.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in literary studies, poetry workshops, and linguistics papers to describe specific phonetic patterning.
Everyday
Extremely unlikely to be encountered or used.
Technical
The primary context. A precise term in prosody and versification.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “rich rhyme”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “rich rhyme”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “rich rhyme”
- Using it to mean simply 'a good rhyme'.
- Confusing it with 'internal rhyme' or 'eye rhyme'.
- Assuming it is a common term in everyday language.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. In common parlance, 'perfect rhyme' often refers to standard rhymes like 'cat/hat'. In precise terminology, 'rich rhyme' (or rime riche) is a subset of perfect rhyme where the rhyming extends to the consonant *before* the stressed vowel, often resulting in homophones (e.g., 'bore/boar').
It is a calque (loan translation) of the French term 'rime riche', a key concept in French versification where such rhymes are highly valued and systematically categorized.
Yes, but consciously. Songwriters might use it for wordplay or a punchline (e.g., 'I'/'eye'), but its homophonic nature can sound like a simple repetition if not handled carefully, which is often avoided in lyrical storytelling.
No, it is a deliberate literary technique. However, in languages like English, overuse can seem clever to the point of being contrived or can obscure meaning. Its acceptability depends entirely on the poetic style and tradition.
A poetic rhyme where the matching sounds go beyond the final stressed vowel to include one or more preceding consonants (consonance), also known as rime riche.
Rich rhyme is usually formal, literary, technical in register.
Rich rhyme: in British English it is pronounced /ˌrɪtʃ ˈraɪm/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌrɪtʃ ˈraɪm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a rhyme that's so RICH, it has extra matching sounds in its bank account (the consonants before the vowel).
Conceptual Metaphor
RICHNESS/WEALTH (abundance of matching sounds).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the best example of a rich rhyme?