Rhyme Scheme

The rhyme scheme uses the sound pattern at the end of lines. While these are not the only kinds of rhyme that might appear in a poem, they are the most common and the easiest to spot. Literary enthusiasts need to learn about the different schemes, as understanding them makes creating and analyzing different poems easier.

What is a Rhyme Scheme?

A rhyme scheme is the pattern of sounds that repeat at the end of lines in a stanza; these matching sounds are called end rhymes. Rhyme schemes could be simple, like ABAB, AAAA, and ABBA, or more complicated, like “ABCD EFDD EFCC.” 

Several well-known rhyming patterns link to certain poetic forms. Usually, if a reader spots one of these patterns, they can easily understand the poetic form the writer employed.

Representation of Rhyme Schemes

A crucial aspect of rhyme schemes is their representation. They are denoted with the letters of the alphabet. Some represent the patterns using uppercase letters, as in AAA. Others use lowercase letters, as in ababbcbc, and some use hyphens, such as a-a-b.

Not every poem contains a rhyme scheme because end rhymes are crucial for their formation. This is why poems with a scheme are called formal verse. In cases featuring imperfect rhymes (slant rhymes), there is mostly no scheme in effect, except select poetic traditions like in Emily Dickinson’s work.

Finding the Rhyme Scheme in a Poem

When looking for the rhyme scheme in a particular piece of poetry, the best thing to do is to look at the words at the end of each line. It might be clear words rhyme due to their obvious sounds and spelling. To make it easier, it’s best to annotate the poem, write a letter next to each line, and use that same letter when the lines rhyme.

For example, every line that rhymes with “day” is marked with an “A,” and then every line that ends with “cat” is marked with a “B,” and so on. Eventually, you will have a list that looks like “ABCB ADCB BCDA.” These collections of letters could become quite complicated if the poet chose to use rhyme sporadically rather than conform to a simple pattern using quatrains or quintains.

If you start looking through a poem and cannot find a regular pattern or meter, the poem exists in free verse.

Below are some of the most used rhyme schemes in literature:

Common Rhyme Schemes

Here are some common schemes based on their prevalence in poetry:

1. AAAA: This type of scheme is popularly called a monorhyme. It features similar-sounding words throughout the end of all stanza lines.
2. AABB: The AABB rhyme scheme is sometimes considered the most simple and common scheme. It can convey a direct message.
3. ABAB: The ABAB rhyme scheme is another widely used pattern in poetry that involves the first and third lines and the second and fourth lines rhyming. Many poets use it when creating ballads. The ABAB scheme also fits into the general classification of alternate rhymes.
4. ABCB: This scheme is one of the most popular in poetry. It is the unbounded or ballad quatrain. It could tie parallelistic couplets together. 
5. AABBA: This is the limerick. It is a quintain with the first, second, and fifth lines and the third and fourth lines rhyming. The limerick’s first line introduces a person or place and sets the rhyme for the second and fifth lines. Then, it completely contradicts the entire scenario, particularly in the third and fourth lines. The work eventually ends with a twist on the fifth line.
6. ABABCBDED: This is the terza rima rhyme scheme. It has three tercets in ABA BCB DED. There is no other defining feature of the terza rima, as poets can use different metrical patterns. Terza Rima falls under chain rhymes.
7. ABBAABBACDCDCD: This pattern is known as the Petrarchan or Italian sonnet. It comprises 14 lines and usually occurs in the ABBAABBA CDC CDC or ABBAABBA CDE CDE pattern. Italian sonnets are special because there is a clear divide in the stanzas. The first section introduces a problem taking the first 8 lines of the stanza. The second section, the volta, provides the solution to the problem in the first part and takes 6 lines. 
8. ABABCDCDEFEFGG: This is the Shakespearean sonnet. It comprises three quatrains and a couplet in the format ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Like the Italian sonnet, it has 14 lines. However, it has the benefit of creating more space for developing the problem resolved in the couplet, unlike the Italian sonnet.

Rarer Rhyme Schemes

These schemes are rarer in use:

1. ABABBCBCCDCDEE: This is the Spenserian sonnet. It has a similar structure to the Shakespearean sonnet as it has a triple quatrain (four-line stanza) and a couplet in the form ABAB BCBC CDCD EE. However, unlike the Shakespearean sonnet, the Spenserian repeats its rhymes, as seen with the B occurring in the first and second quatrain and the C occurring in the second and third quatrain.
2. ABAABAABAABAABAABAA: This is the Villanelle. It has 19 lines divided into 5 tercets and one quatrain in the format ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA. However, poets rarely use it.

Examples of Rhyme Schemes in Poetry

Example #1: ‘The Divine Comedy’ by Dante Alighieri

The Divine Comedy is Alighieri’s masterpiece and one of the best-known examples of terza rima poetry. The poem has three sections: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Alighieri pioneered this rhyme scheme now closely connected to the poem. Here are the first lines of Inferno in the original Italian.

Tant’ è amara che poco è più more;

ma per trattar del ben ch’i’ vi trovai,

dirò de l’altre cose ch’i’ v’ho scorte.

Io non so ben ridir com’ i’ v’intrai,

tant’ era pien di sonno a quel punto

che la verace via abbandonai.

Despite being in a foreign language, it is easy to find the elements of terza rima rhyme in these lines. They ultimately follow a pattern of ABABCBCDCDED. The ending sounds are slightly obvious, with “trovai” rhyming with “v’intrai” and “abbandonai” in the second stanza.

Example #2: ‘The Trees like Tassels — hit — and swung‘ by Emily Dickinson

Emily Dickinson’s poems usually exist in ballad stanzas, also known as hymn stanzas. There are many good examples of these types of stanzas in her work. Take these two stanzas from ‘The Trees like Tassels — hit — and swung’ for example: 

The Trees like Tassels — hit — and swung —

There seemed to rise a Tune

From Miniature Creatures

Accompanying the Sun —”



“Far Psalteries of Summer —

Enamoring the Ear

They never yet did satisfy —

Remotest — when most fair

It is easy to spot how Dickinson uses the hymn stanza’s meter and rhyme scheme in these lines. The lines rhyme ABCB, changing sounds in most examples. Some of the rhymes in her work use half-rhymes rather than perfect rhymes. This is quite a common occurrence in the world of poetry.

Read more Emily Dickinson Poems.

Example #3: ‘Sonnet 18‘ by William Shakespeare

‘Sonnet 18,’ also known as ‘Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,’ is one of William’s best works. The lines have a pattern of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. This pattern is so ingrained in Shakespeare’s poetry that it is synonymous with his name. Sonnets that use this pattern and iambic pentameter are known as “Shakespearean sonnets.” The first lines of this particular sonnet read:

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

And summer’s lease hath all too short a date;

Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm’d;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,

By chance or nature’s changing course untrimm’d;

Readers should note the use of “temperate” and “date” in the first four lines. Here, the reader changes the pronunciation if they want the words to rhyme perfectly.

Explore William Shakespeare’s Poetry.

Example #4: ‘London, 1802’ by William Wordsworth

‘London, 1802’ is a poem that portrays the emotions of William Wordsworth, who mourns the gradual decline of England. William calls upon the long-dead John Milton to return and save his beloved land from the deterioration it faces. The poem is an Italian sonnet comprising 14 lines with the pattern ABBA ABBA CDCDCD. Also, take a look at these lines:

Milton! thou shouldst be living at this hour:

England hath need of thee: she is a fen 

Of stagnant waters: altar, sword, and pen,

Fireside, the heroic wealth of hall and bower,

Have forfeited their ancient English dower

Of inward happiness. We are selfish men;

Oh! raise us up, return to us again;

And give us manners, virtue, freedom, power. […]

The Petrarchan or Italian sonnet rhyme pattern comes to life upon peering into the above lines. When we break the first four lines, a quatrain with the pattern ABBA forms, the next quatrain also follows the same pattern of rhymes, and then the last two sections follow the CDC format. We can also see that the poet uses the quatrains to introduce the conflict, which the two tercets address.

Example #5: ‘The New Colossus‘ by Emma Lazarus

‘The New Colossus‘ by Emma Lazarus is a poem that portrays the welcoming spirit of the American people who take in people irrespective of their social standing. The poem uses the ABBA rhyme scheme. Also, take a look at these lines:

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame […]”

We see how the words fame and flame perfectly rhyme; these patterns are called enclosed rhymes.

Other Significant Poetry Examples

Other examples include:

1. ‘Parents’ Pantoum’ by Carolyn Kizer: This poem features a unique rhyme scheme pattern called the Pantoum that follows a looping scheme in the ABAB BCBC CDCD DEDE format. The work also addresses the disconnection between the parent and children generation.
2. ‘Don Juan’ by Lord Byron: This work features 8-line stanzas with the pattern ABABABCC, also called the Ottava Rima.
3. ‘In Flanders Fields‘ by John McCrae: This is a poem featuring a pattern known as the Rondeau. It follows the scheme AABBA AABR AABBAR. In this format, R is the refrain, which is the opening phrase of the poem. It also repeats in lines 9 and 15. Another type of poem that uses a refrain is the ballade.

Why Poets Use Rhyme Schemes

There are many reasons poets inculcate rhyme schemes into their work. Some include:

1. Create Musicality: Adding a rhyme scheme to a poem creates rhythm and musicality, making the work more appealing to the ears.
2. Enhancing Memorability: Rhyme schemes make memorizing lines of a work easy. An example is children’s poems made with schemes that make recollection easy.
3. Engagement: Schemes add a flare of excitement to a poem. They also make them sound more interesting and draw the audience’s attention.
4. Provide Meaning: Rhyme schemes can sometimes provide more context to a work by highlighting crucial thematic elements.

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Other Resources

• Watch: Rhyme and Rhyme Scheme in Poetry
• Listen: Rhyme Scheme
• Listen: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson