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ABBA rhyme pattern

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

Synonymous with embracing or enclosed rhyme, following the ABBA sequence

Detailed Definition
ABBA rhyme pattern, also known as enclosed or embracing rhyme, is a quatrain structure in which the first and fourth lines rhyme (A), and the second and third lines share a different rhyme (B). This symmetrical arrangement creates a sense of containment and introspection, as the outer A-lines “frame” the inner B-lines, often mirroring thematic enclosure or emotional self-reflection. The ABBA pattern is foundational in the octave of the Petrarchan sonnet and appears frequently in meditative, philosophical, or elegiac poetry, where its cyclical sound reinforces contemplation rather than narrative progression, fostering a cohesive, self-contained unit of thought.
Example
Example in poetry:
In the room the women come and go / Talking of Michelangelo; / The yellow fog that rubs its back / Upon the window-panes; 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; Oft have I seen at some cathedral door / A laborer, working his way through stone, / Who sees a vision of the saint he’s hewing, / And carves it out with love; The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, / The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea, / The plowman homeward plods his weary way, / And leaves the world to darkness and to me
Additional Notes
ABBA rhyme pattern, also known as enclosed or embracing rhyme, creates a “frame” by rhyming the outer lines around the inner pair. It’s common in Petrarchan sonnets (especially the octave) and lends itself to meditative or argumentative poetry because it encourages internal cohesion and thematic enclosure. This pattern supports syntactic parallelism and is often paired with iambic pentameter. Students should observe how the ABBA structure can mirror psychological containment or emotional introspection.
Also Known As
enclosed rhyme chiasmic quatrain mirror rhyme sequence ABBA pattern
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