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Cross-pattern 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 scheme where rhyming lines alternate or intersect in a crisscross pattern (e.g., ABAB or ABBA).

Detailed Definition
Cross-pattern rhyme refers to a rhyme scheme where terminal or internal sounds echo across non-adjacent lines in a crisscross fashion (e.g., ABAB or ABCB), generating dynamic tension and cohesion through unexpected sonic returns rather than predictable pairings.
Example
Example in poetry:
Cross-pattern rhyme like ABAB instead of AABB; Shakespearean sonnet quatrains with interwoven rhyme; Spenserian stanzas with linked rhymes; Rhymes leaping across lines in alternating structure
Additional Notes
Cross-pattern rhyme is a rhyming scheme where lines are paired in a non-sequential, crisscross manner, most famously interlaced or alternating rhyme (ABAB).
Also Known As
Cross-linked rhyme Interlaced rhyme Alternating rhyme Chiasmatic rhyme
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