Home › Glossary › Letter A

Alternating rhyme

Rhyme
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 that switches between two different rhyming sounds in a regular pattern (e.g., ABAB)

Detailed Definition
Alternating rhyme is a rhyme scheme in which the end sounds of lines follow an ABAB pattern, where the first and third lines rhyme with each other (A) and the second and fourth lines share a different rhyme (B); commonly used in quatrains and ballads, this structure provides rhythmic balance and forward momentum, as seen in Shakespearean sonnets or traditional hymns, offering both predictability and melodic variation.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 uses ABAB: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? / Thou art more lovely and more temperate”; Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” alternates rhyme in ABCB pattern; Alexander Pope’s heroic couplets sometimes embed alternating rhyme in longer stanzas; Christina Rossetti’s “A Birthday” employs ABAB CDCD in its lyrical celebration.
Additional Notes
Alternating rhyme (ABAB) alternates end sounds between lines; common in quatrains and sonnets, it creates musical balance and forward motion—ideal for narrative or argumentative poems where contrast and resolution are key.
Also Known As
ABAB rhyme cross rhyme alternating end-rhyme interlaced rhyme alternating rhyme pattern Cross-pattern rhyme
Skip to main content