What a rhyme scheme is

A term you'll meet in poetry basics.

A rhyme scheme is the pattern formed by the rhyming words at the ends of a poem's lines. Critics map it with letters: each new rhyme sound gets the next letter of the alphabet, and repeats reuse the same letter. The scheme "ABAB" means lines one and three rhyme, and lines two and four rhyme.

How to mark one up

Read down the line-endings. Give the first end-sound the label A. Give the next new sound B, the next C, and so on — but whenever an end-sound repeats an earlier one, reuse that earlier letter. Work through a stanza and you'll have its scheme: AABB (couplets), ABAB (alternating), ABBA (enclosed), and so on.

What the patterns do

Different schemes feel different. Couplets (AABB) snap shut and suit wit, summary, and closure. Alternating rhyme (ABAB) feels open and forward-moving. Enclosed rhyme (ABBA) folds back on itself, good for reflection. The scheme is part of a poem's argument, not just decoration.

Beyond perfect rhyme

Schemes don't require exact rhymes. Poets use slant rhyme (or half-rhyme) — "eyes" with "is," "room" with "storm" — to suggest pattern while unsettling it. Emily Dickinson built her unmistakable music almost entirely from slant rhyme. A near-miss in an otherwise neat scheme is usually meaningful.

Why it matters

Identifying the rhyme scheme is often the first step in naming a form — a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, a limerick AABBA. More than that, the pattern shapes how the poem moves and where it lands its emphasis. Reading the scheme is reading the poem's skeleton.

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