Brain rhyme designates a type of rhyme that appeals primarily to the intellectual recognition of sound correspondence rather than producing an immediate auditory effect. These rhymes may involve complex etymological connections, visual similarities in spelling despite different pronunciations, or sophisticated wordplay that requires cognitive processing to appreciate. Brain rhyme prioritizes wit and intellectual engagement over musical harmony, challenging readers to perceive connections through mental effort rather than sensory immediacy, thus creating a more cerebral poetic experience.

Brain rhyme (or "mind rhyme") occurs when words suggest rhyme through conceptual or semantic association rather than sound—used in modernist or experimental poetry to imply connection.