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Gothic 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

Rhyme imbued with dark, ecclesiastical, or medieval tonal qualities, often evoking mystery, decay, or spiritual tension in Gothic-themed verse.

Detailed Definition
Gothic rhyme employs dark, archaic, or uncanny word pairings that evoke mystery, decay, or the supernatural, often using slant rhymes or obsolete diction to unsettle the reader; it is characteristic of Gothic literature’s fascination with the sublime and the macabre.
Example
Example in poetry:
“moon/gloom” creating a haunting sound; “shade/decayed” in a graveyard scene; Poe’s use of “tomb/dark room”; “grave/crave” echoing Gothic melancholy
Additional Notes
Gothic rhyme: Rhyme used in poetry that evokes a sense of the dark, mysterious, macabre, or medieval, often through sound combinations that feel antique, heavy, or unsettling; may use obscure or archaic words.
Also Known As
macabre rhyme dark rhyme Gothic cadence cryptic versing Cathedral rhyme
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