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distant 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

Rhyming words separated by many intervening lines rather than appearing close together

Detailed Definition
distant rhyme: Rhyme where matching sounds occur far apart in a poem rather than in adjacent or nearby positions, creating subtle connections across textual space. Distant rhymes can link stanzas, frame long poems, or connect beginning and ending, establishing relationships that readers may perceive unconsciously. This technique differs from near rhyme in spatial rather than acoustic distance, demonstrating how rhyme creates structure across entire poems, not just within conventional positions. Distant rhyme reveals poetry's architectural dimensions, where sound patterns create coherence and relationship across long textual distances.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death,” “Immortality” and “Civility” form distant rhyme across stanzas; In W.B. Yeats’ “The Second Coming,” “gyre” and “fire” create distant rhyme of apocalyptic vision; In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” “Jew” and “through” form distant slant rhyme across traumatic narrative; In Gwendolyn Brooks’ “The Children of the Poor,” “room” and “doom” echo distantly through maternal anxiety; In Ocean Vuong’s “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong,” “afraid” and “brave” form distant thematic rhyme.
Additional Notes
Distant rhyme places rhyming words far apart in a poem rather than at consecutive line ends. This subtle technique creates unexpected connections and can unify longer passages without obvious rhyme scheme.
Also Known As
Remote rhyme far rhyme distant echo remote echo rhyme Aerial rhyme Demirhyme
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