See it in language
Examples of Internal Rhyme
I traced the light through the night-bound hall.
Instructional example
The river gleamed under clouded skies; / a silver dream moved under the bridge.
Instructional example
Gleamed and dream rhyme at internal positions across adjacent lines.
We raced past the gate, too late to turn.
Instructional example
Raced, gate, and late create internal echoes that accelerate the line.
Show more examples
"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary"
— This line from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" uses internal rhyme with "dreary" and "weary."
"Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December; And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor."
— This excerpt from "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe uses internal rhyme with "December" and "ember."
"Tyger Tyger, burning bright, In the forests of the night"
— This excerpt from William Blake's "The Tyger" uses internal rhyme with "Tyger" and "night."
Read like an editor
How to recognize it
- Mark rhyming stressed sounds that occur before line endings.
- Check neighboring lines for echoes between internal positions.
- Distinguish the local internal echoes from the stanza's end-rhyme pattern.
Meaning and effect
Why writers use Internal Rhyme
- Build rhythm
- Its pattern can build rhythm in context.
- Create emphasis
- Writers may use it to create emphasis for readers.
- Organize sound
- The device can organize sound through its distinctive textual mechanism.
Common confusion
Internal Rhyme vs. Rhyme Scheme
Internal Rhyme concerns rhyme at internal positions; Rhyme Scheme maps patterned line-ending rhyme.
Internal Rhyme
Rhyme occurs inside a line or between internal positions.
“I traced the light through the night-bound hall.”
Rhyme Scheme
Letters map recurring end-rhyme positions across lines.
“stone / air / alone / care forms ABAB.”
Questions readers ask
Frequently asked questions
Can a poem use Internal Rhyme and an end-rhyme scheme?
Yes. The two systems can operate together.
Does near rhyme count?
It can, when the sound correspondence is deliberate and perceptible.