slant rhymes
Almost-matching word endings
Slant rhymes are words that almost rhyme but don't quite match—their sounds are similar but not identical.
Also called near rhymes or half rhymes.
Where perfect rhymes share both vowel and final consonant sounds (cat/hat), slant rhymes might share only the consonant (cat/cut) or have vowels that are close but not exact (home/come).
Poets use them for subtler, less predictable effects than full rhymes: Emily Dickinson paired "soul" with "all".
- nuancesSubtle variations in meaning
- vowel soundsOpen-mouth speech tones
- echoReflected sound wave
- euphonyPleasant arrangement of sounds
- poetic devicesMethods poets use
couplets · poetry · cacophony · Emily Dickinson · modern poetry · prosody · harmonies · alliteration · gap · metrical foot · sound patterns · quatrains · sestinas · edge · seam · villanelles · Wilfred Owen · onomatopoeia