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ABBA rhyme

Rhyme
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A rhyme scheme where the first and fourth lines rhyme, and the second and third lines rhyme

Detailed Definition
ABBA rhyme, also known as enclosed rhyme, is a quatrain rhyme scheme where the first and fourth lines rhyme (A), and the second and third lines share a different rhyme (B); this symmetrical pattern creates a sense of containment and balance, often used in Petrarchan sonnets’ sestets to reflect introspection or emotional resolution within a tightly woven sonic frame.
Example
Example in poetry:
ABBA rhyme: "When I consider how my light is spent, / Ere half my days, in this dark world and wide, / And that one talent which is death to hide, / Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent" (Milton, "On His Blindness"); "O world, thy slippery turns! Friends now fast sworn, / Whose double bosoms seem to wear one heart, / Whose hours, whose bed, whose meal and exercise / Are still together" (Shakespeare, adapted ABBA in sonnet quatrains); Original example: "The sea rolls in with quiet grace, / Time leaves no mark upon its face, / Yet every wave finds its own place, / And silence fills the ocean's space."; Original example: "Beneath the boughs where shadows play, / The wind sings songs of yesterday, / And memories drift in soft array, / To fade before the break of day."
Additional Notes
ABBA rhyme (also called enclosed rhyme) offers poets a self-contained, balanced quatrain ideal for expressing complex or resolved thoughts; it’s a hallmark of the Italian sonnet’s sestet and appears in poets like Wordsworth and Hopkins—students should practice writing ABBA quatrains to explore how sonic closure can mirror thematic resolution or emotional containment.
Also Known As
enclosed rhyme embracing quatrain scheme mirror rhyme Petrarchan quatrain ABBA enclosure Rime embrassée
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