15 Essential Rhyme Schemes for Songwriters
By Jordan Reynolds • November 4, 2021
As a songwriter, you probably notice lyrics more than most — especially unique rhymes. But you might wonder whether your rhymes are working or whether they're missing the mark. Are they weak? Do they seem forced? Are they too cliché or cheesy?
Or maybe your songwriting is feeling stale because you tend to repeatedly use the same approaches.
We've all been there. Fortunately, there's a solution. If you're hoping to polish your skills or break out of a lyrical rut, read on.
Why Strong Rhyming Skills Matter in Songwriting
Songwriters walk a fine line when it comes to rhyme.
Strong, well-crafted rhyme schemes help you structure your lyrical ideas. They make your songs unique and memorable and deliver a satisfying emotional payoff. They can be catchy and interesting and offer potentially infinite variety.
But at the same time, a lazy or overused rhyme scheme can turn listeners off. Your songs will feel boring or uninspired, and you may not realize why.
This is why it's important to boost your rhyming arsenal.
A Quick Review of Rhymes
Five main types of rhymes make up the building blocks of your lyrics. They're listed here from strongest to weakest:
1. Perfect rhymes have the same vowels and ending consonants (e.g. “lean” and “mean”). While they're the strongest rhymes, they can sound tedious or childish when overused.
2. Family rhymes contain vowels or consonants from families of plosives, fricatives and nasals (e.g. “crate” and “braid”). Family rhymes are looser, so they add interest without seeming cliché.
3. Additive and subtractive rhymes contain the same vowels, plus or minus a consonant sound (e.g. “eve” and “believe”).
4. Assonance rhymes contain the same vowels but different consonants (e.g. “had” and “glass”). They're “near” or “weak” rhymes that open up more creative options.
5. Consonance rhymes have different vowels, but a similar consonant (e.g. “scene” and “when”). They’re the weakest rhyme and give you even more writing flexibility.
Songwriters commonly rhyme at the end of lines, but you can also create internal rhymes within lines (e.g. “I can drink whiskey and red wine, champagne all night, little scotch on the rocks and I’m fine” from my song for Dan + Shay, “Tequila”)
What is a Rhyme Scheme?
Rhyme schemes define the patterns you use throughout your songs for your end-of-line rhymes. I think of them as a program or structure into which you can fit your song’s lyrics.
When you know different rhyme schemes and put them to good use, you'll have a bigger box of lyrical tools to choose from. You'll write better songs because your lyrics will be less predictable, more memorable, and unique to you.
Rhyme schemes can inspire your creativity, but if you ever feel stuck, don’t beat yourself up just to conform to a certain pattern. Instead, change the rhyme scheme to fit your lyrics.
You'll notice some variation in how rhyme schemes are noted and named, but they all refer to the same patterns. In general, the first rhyme sound in a song is called A, the second is named B, and so on. If the end of a particular line doesn't rhyme with anything else, use additional letters.
How to Choose a Rhyme Scheme
Rhyming decisions often come down to feel. It’s important, when you’re in the writing room, to ask, “Do these lyrics want that rhyme?” A lot of this relies on instinct. When we listen to music, our brains and intuition will usually lead us down the right path. If you run through your lyrics, either by speaking or singing them out loud, you’ll naturally get a feeling that this line wants to rhyme with that one.
Music is cyclical. It’s always changing and evolving. There are seasons where everything is very neat and tidy and others where lyrics are more freeform. Go with your gut. If you think a rhyme is working well, don't draw hard and fast lines. It's not bad if you're not rhyming the end of your lines. Just keep with the program. People like pop music because it’s emotionally satisfying, easy to sing along to, and safe within familiar boundaries.
As always, start simply and learn to trust your instinct. If you’re stuck, though, just know that you could create more confusion if you go with not rhyming at all.
Rhyme Schemes at Work
I was writing with Parker Welling and Morgan Evans recently, and Morgan had just cut this song ("Beautiful Tonight"). We were struggling to find a melody for the chorus. We had all written down lyrics and loved the scheme, but we didn't yet know what the melodic structure would be.
So, we decided to just get it all out. As Morgan started singing these lines, the melody kept rolling forward and creating some unique rhymes.
Every time you smile, every word you speak, it's a work of art, just to watch you be. (ABCB)
Next we had:
Just the way you are, you don't have to try, darling you look beautiful tonight. (CDD)
This is an example where a unique rhyme scheme pushed us into a unique melodic structure. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s really cool. So balance between rules and no rules — what matters most is that the song feels right.
General Tips for Rhyme Schemes That Work
Before we dive into examples, let's look at some of the best ways to use rhyme schemes.
1. Experiment and keep your options open. Use different rhyme types and schemes to keep your listeners intrigued and to prevent all your songs from sounding or feeling the same.
2. Mix and match rhyming patterns within various song sections to build longer verses and choruses.
3. Don't try to force your lyrics into specific schemes. Instead, start writing and see where your lyrics are going. Then tweak them to fit particular patterns.
4. Once you have a good handle on end-of-line rhymes, start experimenting with internal rhymes. Use internal rhymes especially if you skip rhyming at the end of your lines – this is very popular in country music these days. “Hey Jude” is a classic example, with the end of one line rhyming with the middle of the next.
Hey Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better