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Broken 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 completed across a line break, often splitting a single word at the end of a line; it creates surprise, emphasizes the split syllable, and links the two line ends audibly and visually.

Detailed Definition
A rhyme scheme where one of the rhyming words is broken across two lines, with part appearing at the end of one line and the completion at the start of the next
Example
Example in poetry:
Broken rhyme splits words across lines: “cre- / ation” to force rhyme with “nation”; Ogden Nash famously used broken rhyme for comic effect (“Paradise / lies in the eyes of the be-hold-er”); Rap lyrics sometimes break words for rhythmic emphasis; This technique stretches language to serve sonic needs; Broken rhyme reveals poetry’s playful manipulation of form.
Additional Notes
Rhyme split across line break, with rhyming word divided between lines. Visual technique creating tension. Related: enjambment, split word. Rare but striking; challenges assumptions about line integrity and sonic units.
Also Known As
hyphenated rhyme split rhyme Aposiopetic rhyme Halted rhyme Interrupted rhyme Refracted rhyme Unaligned rhyme
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