Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 4: Rhyme well
• Method 2 of 4: Poetic rhyming
• Method 3 of 4: Rhyming in music
• Method 4 of 4: Rhyming in Hip Hop
• Tips
• Warnings

Learning to rhyme is a skill that helps you write beautiful lyrics and poetry, but how can you do this at a higher level than cat and wet rhyme? And does something rhyme with mandarin? How can you use a list of rhyming words when writing a sonnet? You can learn this and after reading this article you can write poetry and any rhyming lyrics.

To step

Method 1 of 4: Rhyme well

1. Before choosing one, think of all the possible ways to rhyme. For example, change the first letter of a word until you've tried the entire alphabet, write down every word you find this way and select the most interesting options. If it doesn't work, you can change the first sentence until your poem or song works.
   • As you go through the alphabet, try adding an R or an L to short words to make another word. If you want to rhyme something with cat, you can make it into a crate or lath, for example. This is a trick that is often used.
2. You can also rhyme by using long words, if you put multiple letters before a word you get more difficult words to rhyme with. Sometimes you have to try to make words longer, because sometimes it is easier to rhyme with longer words.
3. Choose only suitable words. If you can't find a good rhyming word, you should try to find a synonym and rhyme with it or just skip a few sentences and then rhyme again. If you can't rhyme with fog, try rhyme with the word cloud, for example, use rhyme only to correct a verse or poem, not just rhyme.
4. Use cripple rhyme. Hard rhyme (also called real rhyme) sounds better because of the equal vowels and consonant combinations. Words like moon and chip are harsh rhymes because the sound is similar. There is cripple rhyme when only one of the combinations matches. So you can also make many more combinations with cripple rhyme.
   • The word verse then suddenly rhymes with cobblers because of the last syllable. This kind of rhyme produces complicated and surprising combinations in contrast to hard rhyme.
5. Read a rhyming dictionary. It's well worth the effort and money to invest in a good rhyming dictionary. It is not cheating if you use a (rhyme) dictionary while rhyming, just as it is not cheating if you use a thesaurus while writing something. You also get better at rhyming as you increase your vocabulary, this gives you a larger collection of words that you can use to rhyme with.
6. Always try to keep writing in rhyme. Rhyming is a technique used by writers and musicians to emphasize words and images and to be able to write unexpected and intricate poetic lyrics. Use some color and texture in your work now and then, but not too much.

Method 2 of 4: Poetic rhyming

1. Write freely. If you are looking at a blank piece of paper that you want to fill with your poetry, it is best not to rhyme too much in your first draft. If you want to write in rhyme right away, you usually end up with pretty basic rhymes and bad poetry. You better write in the same way you would write in your journal. What do you really want to say? Start with a sentence or an image that strikes you, after the first rough version you can add more structure and rhyme.
2. Try to find a theme. If you have a reasonable amount on paper, you should read your text again. Find a favorite phrase from your first version and take it as the first sentence of your new version. Why is this your favorite phrase? What do you like about this? Use these types of questions as a guide to how you plan to write your poem. Go deeper into the sentence or image that you find special.
   • A first version usually has a strong ending and a weak beginning. You can use that ending as the start of your second version.
3. Consider the shape of your poem. If you want to write a formal poem, you should read more about these types of poems and choose the shapes and form that works best for the theme of your poem.
   • A heroic verse is usually a verse that rhymes in two sentences. Poems like this were used by poets from Milton to Frederick Seidel. The verses often sound important and epic.
   • A poem consists of quatrains, or stanzas of four sentences. Often times these kinds of poems rhyme in two sentences, so the first and second sentences rhyme, just like the third and fourth sentences. Ballads and other musical numbers are usually also written in quatrains, as this style is well suited for storytelling.
   • A villanelle is a poem in which whole sentences recur now and then and are repeated. Usually a sentence from the first verse is repeated over and over in the following verses, the first and last sentence from each verse usually rhyme with each other. This gives the poem a sense of inevitability, as if you cannot escape.
   • A sonnet is a 14-sentence poem with approximately 10 syllables per sentence. Most sonnets are written in English and are often written in the style of Petrarch or Shakespeare (the last two sentences of each verse rhyme). A sonnet is often written rhetorically, usually turning into a standard poem around the eighth sentence.
4. Use rhyme to add surprises and complexity to your poem. If you rhyme, this should benefit the poem and not the other way around. You shouldn't try to rhyme for rhyme, or just start a poem in the hope that you can put everything together. This usually results in mediocre elementary school level rhymes that lower your poem's quality instead of increasing it.
   • Paul Muldoon, an Irish poet, had a different style. His poem, The Old Country, consists of sonnets with surprising rhymes.
     • Every runnel was a Rubicon / and every annual a hardy annual / applying itself like linen to a lawn. / Every glove compartment held a manual.
5. Also read modern poetry for inspiration. It can be difficult to write modern poetry when you only know old-fashioned poems by poets like Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Dr. Seuss. There is nothing wrong with using texts on Twitter, Frosted Flakes or Lil Wayne texts as a source of inspiration for your poems. Look for modern poets who write poetry in a fresh but traditional way.
   • Read the poem Alien vs. Predator by Michael Robbins. In this poem, the writer uses a number of funny, musical ways to write poetry.
     • He's a space tree / making a ski and a little foam chiropractor. / I set the controls, I pioneer / the seeding of the ionosphere. / I translate the Bible into velociraptor.
   • Also read the work of Ange Mlinko, a poet who even knows how to rhyme potatoes with tattoos in English at the end of her poem “The Grind”
     • spooning up Aphrodite / to Greek porticoes, and our potatoes, / and plain living which might be / shaken by infinitesimal tattoos.
   • Casualty by Seamus Heaney, is a poem that is accessible but also has a storyline and is easy to read. He is a great poet who makes poetry seem easy.
     • And raise a weathered thumb / Towards the high shelf, / Calling another rum / And blackcurrant, without / Having to raise his voice
   • David Trinidad, a poet who writes a lot about the 60s, masters the aforementioned villanelle, an example of this is his funny poem: Chatty Cathy Villanelle:
     • Our flag is red, white and blue. / Let's make believe you're Mommy. / When you grow up, what will you do?

Method 3 of 4: Rhyming in music

1. Write a good melody first. It is difficult to write a melody that fits the words, so it is better to do this the other way around. Most composers find it easier to first come up with a melody and then write lyrics that match the melody and the structure of the song.
   • Many writers also find it useful to use the flutes or sing single syllables to lay a kind of foundation on the melody that can later be built on with words.
   • You have to decide for yourself which shape suits you best. Bob Dylan, one of the greatest composers ever, just wrote words first. Try this too.
2. You have to learn how to turn a sentence. A popular and important technique in country music is to turn a phrase so that it appears to mean something different each time it occurs in the song.
   • In Kacey Musgraces' song Blowing Smoke, the phrase blowing smoke is used in a variety of ways. The phrase is used when describing waitresses on a smoking break, as well as to describe bragging about someone who has just quit their job. The expression thus refers to quitting the job, but also to quitting smoking. This is an effective technique that allows the meaning to change without changing the words.
3. Use as few words as possible. Songs with too many words are very difficult to sing. When you write you have to use the words in summary, you have to leave a lot to the imagination. A small and simple sentence can achieve more than many poetic words.
   • In “The Butcher”, Leonard Cohen describes the deep impact of drugs with a small, shocking sentence:
     • I found a silver needle. I put it into my arm. / It did some good, did some harm.
4. Try to use automatic shapes. Writer William Burroughs was one of the pioneers of writing. He wrote a number of words on paper, cut them into pieces, put them in a bag and then took out a note each time. So he wrote his lyrics as if he were making a collage. Music is well suited for this kind of writing, which was also used by David Bowie, by the way.
   • The Rolling Stones used this technique for their song: Casino Boogie.
     • One last cycle, thrill freak Uncle Sam / Pause for business, so you'll understand.

Method 4 of 4: Rhyming in Hip Hop

1. Listen to the beat and find your flow, or your rhythm. If you want to rap, you have to get to know the sound and rhythm of the song you want to rap to. You need to know what rhythm you will be rapping to before writing. With other music you first look for the melody, in the rap you look for the flow.
   • Some rappers also use only syllables at first and only then write the text. Also record yourself using only sounds and syllables, this may sound strange, but this may be a suitable method for you.
   • Good rapping is as much about the rhythm as the lyrics themselves. You always sound better if you know how to rap to the beat and don't have to put in the effort to put complicated lyrics into the structure of the song.
2. Freestyle rap is a type of rap where, just like with poetry, you say the first things that come to mind. Freestyles are a great way to get started if you're looking for a start. If you're Riff Raff you can even record a freestyle and call it a song!
3. Try to use enjambement to your advantage, this is going through a sentence over two or more lines of verse. There is no rule that something only rhymes if it is at the end of a sentence, especially in hip hop, the word that rhymes can be anywhere in the sentence. So have some variation when it comes to the place of the word that rhymes. Try putting the rhyming words in the middle of a sentence, or skip a sentence to make your rap varied. You don't always have to have a rhyming end to a sentence to be a good rapper.
   • In "Duel of the Iron Mic," rapper GZA uses the breaks in the music to surprise people:
     • I ain't particular, I bang like vehicular / homicides, on July 4th in Bed-Stuy
4. Listen to the better hip hop artists for inspiration. Get to know the best rappers by listening to their music and also listen to the different rhythms. Listen to:
   • Nas, the rapper who released his classic Illmatic as a teenager, said the following:
     • It drops deep as it does in my breath / I never sleep, cause sleep is the cousin of death.
   • Eminem, whose intricate lyrics made him one of the best rappers, said:
     • I'm Slim, the Shady is really a fake alias / to save me with in case I get chased by space aliens.
   • Rakim, one of the most influential rappers ever said:
     • Even if it's jazz or the quiet storm / I hook a beat up, convert it into hip-hop form.

Tips

• Note the number of syllables per sentence. Try to avoid that one sentence has many more syllables than the other.
• Take a class and learn how to write lyrics, be it poetry or rap.
• You can buy a rhyming dictionary from the bookstore or use the internet to write your lyrics.
• Ask friends and family for help.
• Try to avoid words with strange ending, because it is almost impossible to find a word that rhymes with words like this.

Warnings

• Avoid clichés. Rhyming is not an obligation, it is nice when something rhymes but there is no rule that everything in a poem or a song has to rhyme.