What are the different types of rhyme schemes in poetry? See examples and uses

What is a rhyme scheme?

Rhyme schemes give motion to your poetry, creating melodic ebbs and flows. They define the pattern of rhymes that repeat at the end of each line.

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Six types of rhyme schemes

Rhyming takes precision, and when done well, it creates a musical quality and evokes powerful emotions in your readers. It forces you, the writer, to use diction with intention, prompting you to come up with ideas and sounds you wouldn’t have otherwise.

Here are the types of rhyme schemes to try:

Rhyming couplets: AABB

If you’re not used to writing in rhyme, the classic AABB is a perfect scheme to start. Rhyming couplets are a pair of consecutive lines where the last word of each line rhymes. William Shakespeare used this rhyme scheme often, as you’ll see in this famous example below:

Excerpt from Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Double, double toil and trouble; (A)
Fire burn and caldron bubble. (A)
Fillet of a fenny snake, (B)
In the caldron boil and bake; (B)
Eye of newt and toe of frog, (C)
Wool of bat and tongue of dog, (C)
Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, (D)
Lizard’s leg and howlet’s wing, (D)

Alternating rhyme: ABAB

The alternating rhyme is another classic rhyme scheme. Simple, yet precise, the ABAB pattern alternates rhymes every other line. You’ll find plenty of examples throughout history, but we’ll turn to Emily Brontë for this one. Her short poem “I Know Not How It Falls on Me” features just two quatrains in the ABAB scheme. See how she masters it.

”I Know Not How It Falls on Me” by Emily Brontë

I KNOW not how it falls on me, (A)
This summer evening, hushed and lone; (B)
Yet the faint wind comes soothingly (A)
With something of an olden tone. (B)

Forgive me if I’ve shunned so long (C)
Your gentle greeting, earth and air! (D)
But sorrow withers e’en the strong, (C)
And who can fight against despair? (D)

Enclosed rhyme: ABBA

To shake up your quatrains a bit, try the enclosed rhyme scheme ABBA (which has nothing to do with a Swedish singing group). This pattern creates a “rhyming sandwich,” where the first and fourth lines rhyme, and the second and third rhyme. Alfred Lord Tennyson uses this pattern in his elegy for his dear friend.

”In Memoriam A.H.H.” by Alfred Lord Tennyson

I hold it true, whate’er befall; (A)
I feel it, when I sorrow most; (B)
‘Tis better to have loved and lost (B)
Than never to have loved at all. (A)

Triplet rhyme: AAA

Here’s another one for you to play around with. A triplet rhyme scheme involves a tercet (three lines) where the last word in each line rhymes together in an AAA format. For inspiration, look at an excerpt from Hilaire Belloc’s whimsically dark poem “Lord Lucky”:

Excerpt from “Lord Lucky” by Hilaire Belloc

Who stood with an astounded air (A)
Bewildered by the whole affair (A)
—And was the third remaining heir. (A)

Monorhyme: AAAA

Experiment with a monorhyme to take the triplet rhyme to an even greater extreme. A monorhyme is a poem or stanza where all the last words in each line rhyme. While monorhyme seems easy on the surface, it’s hard to get right. One of the best examples of monorhyme is in the infamous tunnel scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Roald Dahl originally wrote this gerund-filled piece for his book, and the filmmakers liked it so much that they incorporated it into the 1971 movie as well. In this example, monorhyme creates a whimsical, yet suspenseful tone.

Excerpt from “The Rowing Song” by Roald Dahl

Not a speck of light is showing (A)
so the danger must be growing. (A)
Are the fires of hell a glowing? (A)
Is the grisly reaper mowing? (A)
Yes! The danger must be growing (A)
For the rowers keep on rowing. (A)
And they’re certainly not showing (A)
any signs that they are slowing! (A)

Villanelle: ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA

Challenge yourself further with a villanelle. Originating from France, a villanelle is a type of poem that uses a very particular rhyme scheme and structure. A villanelle has five tercets with an alternating rhyme scheme (ABA) and ends with a quatrain following an ABAA rhyme scheme. Vilanelles typically involve meter but don’t require any specific one, as long as they’re consistent.

Villanelles may be notoriously tricky, but they’re not out of reach. Make sure you pick the right A and B rhymes since you’ll need 13 words that rhyme for A and 6 for B. For an example, look at the last two stanzas in Elizabeth Bishop’s villanelle about loss:

Excerpt from “One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, (A)
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. (B)
I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster. (A)

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture (A)
I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident (B)
the art of losing’s not too hard to master (A)
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster. (A)

Playing around with new rhyme schemes

Playing around with new rhyme schemes teaches you the art of conciseness and how to create works you wouldn’t have before. Rhyme can evoke a wide range of feelings, from joy to suspense.

Have fun playing around with these rhyme schemes, and maybe invent a new one yourself. Open a new page, and see how sticking to a rhyme scheme or breaking one can transform your work.