transitional rhyme

Rhyme
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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 shifts or evolves between stanzas to signal thematic or tonal change

Detailed Definition
Transitional rhyme is a type of slant or near-rhyme that bridges dissimilar sounds through assonance, consonance, or shared morphemes, creating fluidity between stanzas or ideas; it offers musical cohesion without strict sonic repetition, allowing for greater lexical freedom and subtle tonal shifts.
Example
Example in poetry:
A poem shifting from ABAB to CDCD to signal emotional change; Rhyme scheme evolving from couplets to tercets as theme darkens; Transitional rhyme linking stanzas through shared sounds; A sonnet where the sestet introduces new rhymes to mark volta
Additional Notes
Transitional rhyme shifts rhyme schemes between stanzas to signal thematic or emotional change; e.g., moving from couplets to tercets during a volta; enhances structural dynamism
Also Known As
rhyme transition scheme shift evolving rhyme adaptive end-rhyme Gradient rhyme bridging rhyme
Skip to main content