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Redirected 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 that unexpectedly shifts or diverts from its established pattern

Detailed Definition
Redirected rhyme occurs when a poem sets up an expected rhyme but substitutes an unexpected or slant alternative, creating surprise, irony, or thematic dissonance; it disrupts sonic predictability to mirror psychological or narrative instability within the verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Emily Dickinson’s slant rhymes, redirected rhyme appears when expected sounds shift (“room” / “storm”); In Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “Pied Beauty,” redirected rhyme uses sprung rhythm to alter rhyme expectations; In Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy,” redirected rhyme appears in “through” / “you” / “blue” / “Jew” chains; In W.B. Yeats’ “Easter, 1916,” redirected rhyme emerges in “stone” / “stream” / “dream” near-rhymes
Additional Notes
Redirected rhyme shifts expected rhyme patterns mid-poem to surprise or disorient the reader; it’s a technique for subverting form while maintaining sonic cohesion.
Also Known As
Diverted end-rhyme Altered rhyme scheme Shifted assonance Diverted rhyme Redirected chime
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