Rhyme Schemes? What’s That?!
A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the ends of lines in a poem or song. Writers use letters to show which line endings rhyme. The first sound gets an A. A new sound gets a B, then C, and so on. Lines with the same letter rhyme with one another.
Common rhyme schemes
AABB: rhyming couplets
Lines 1 and 2 rhyme, then lines 3 and 4 rhyme.
The rain taps softly on the pane (A)
I let the quiet ease my brain (A)
A streetlight paints the midnight blue (B)
I write one line and start anew (B)
ABAB: alternate rhyme
Lines 1 and 3 rhyme; lines 2 and 4 rhyme. The sounds take turns.
The morning spills across the street (A)
I hear a rhythm in the rain (B)
The words begin to find a beat (A)
And turn a thought into a refrain (B)
ABCB: a rhyme on every other line
Only lines 2 and 4 rhyme. Lines 1 and 3 have different end sounds.
I carry my notebook through the rush (A)
The city hums a distant song (B)
I pause beneath a traffic light (C)
And let the words keep rolling along (B)
ABBA: enclosed rhyme
Lines 1 and 4 rhyme, while lines 2 and 3 rhyme: the B sound sits inside the A sound.
I watched the last train leave the yard (A)
The quiet settled on the town (B)
While rain came softly tumbling down (B)
I held my notebook, breathing hard (A)
AAAA: one rhyme sound throughout
Every line ends with the same rhyme sound. This can feel catchy, playful, or intense, depending on the words and delivery.
What rhyme schemes do in music
A pattern can make lyrics feel organized and memorable. Repeating a rhyme sound can build expectation, while changing the pattern can make a new line stand out. A scheme can also help you fit words into a verse or chorus. But a rhyme pattern is only one part of a song: rhythm, melody, meaning, and the way the words are performed all matter too.
Rhyme schemes describe end rhymes. Internal rhyme happens inside a line, as in “the light of the night.” Near rhymes can work in a scheme, too, if they sound right in your voice and accent.
There are no required schemes for every song. Try one pattern, then change it if it makes the lyric feel forced. Use the rhyme scheme analyzer, read the guide to rap rhyme schemes, or find sounds with the rhyme search.