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Arrested 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 that begins but is deliberately left incomplete or unresolved, creating tension or expectation through sonic suspension or deferral.

Detailed Definition
Arrested rhyme occurs when a near-rhyme or slant rhyme is introduced but not fully resolved, creating tension through expectation deferred; this technique sustains sonic interest without closure, often used in modern poetry to mirror psychological unease or thematic incompleteness.
Example
Example in poetry:
Arrested rhyme: In Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death – / He kindly stopped for me –,” the near-rhyme of “Immortality” and “me” creates an arrested rhyme—suggesting closure but withholding perfect sonic resolution.
Additional Notes
Arrested rhyme introduces a near-rhyme or slant rhyme that feels momentarily unresolved, creating tension; often used before a final perfect rhyme for payoff.
Also Known As
Stopped rhyme Halted rhyme Frozen sound
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