List of closed pairs of English rhyming words

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This page has a list of closed pairs of English rhyming words—in each pair, both words rhyme with each other and only with each other.

Monosyllabic pairs

bairn, cairn
boosts, roosts
coaxed, hoaxed
dwarfed, morphed
how've, Lauv
lounge, scrounge
lymph, nymph
palped, scalped
salve, valve
smooth, soothe

Disyllabic pairs

Trochaic pairs

In a trochaic pair, each word is a trochee, with the first syllable stressed and the second syllable unstressed.

Trochaic-or-iambic pairs

In an trochaic-or-iambic pair, each word can be either a trochee (stressed on the first syllable) or an iamb (stressed on the second syllable).

Iambic pairs

In an iambic pair, each word is an iamb and has the first syllable unstressed and the second syllable stressed.

Trisyllabic pairs

Dactylic pairs

In a dactylic pair, each word is a dactyl and has the first syllable stressed and the second and third syllables unstressed.

agitate, sagittate
analyst, panellist
article, particle
bandmaster, grandmaster
banister, canister
bingeworthy, cringeworthy
bonytail, ponytail
brotherhood, motherhood
charlatan, tarlatan
collier, jollier
copulate, populate
creepier, sleepier
cuneiform, uniform
devious, previous
Everest, cleverest
fealty, realty
fortify, mortify
gradient, radiant
javelin, ravelin
jawbreaker, lawbreaker
jitterbug, litterbug
Kodiak, zodiac
lexicon, Mexican
loyalty, royalty
manhandle, panhandle
medium, tedium
mellophone, telephone
minister, sinister
modulate, nodulate
mutiny, scrutiny
president, resident
serpentine, turpentine (in RP, and some British English dialects)

Amphibrachic pairs

In an amphibrachic pair, each word is an amphibrach and has the second syllable stressed and the first and third syllables unstressed.

attainder, remainder
autumnal, columnal
concoction, decoction (In GA, these rhyme with auction; there is also the YouTube slang word obnoxion, meaning something that is obnoxious.)
distinguish, extinguish
pneumatic, rheumatic

Anapestic pairs

In an anapestic pair, each word is an anapest and has the first and second syllables unstressed and the third syllable stressed.

At this time, no anapestic pairs have been found. The pair "uneclipsed, unellipsed" is disqualified because uneclipsed also rhymes with ellipsed, and because unellipsed also rhymes with eclipsed.

Tetrasyllabic pairs

Pentasyllabic pairs

constabulary, vocabulary

Asymmetric pairs

In an asymmetric pair, the words differ in number of syllables. Each pair is in a subsection according to the respective numbers of syllables in the words when they are in alphabetical order.

Disyllabic-and-monosyllabic pairs

Disyllabic-and-trisyllabic pairs

Disyllabic-and-tetrasyllabic pairs

thinnest, violinist (although Bentley's Miscellany does contain the line "The Dublin Stout out-Guinnessed Guinness"^[2])

Trisyllabic-and-disyllabic pairs

Trisyllabic-and-tetrasyllabic pairs

Tetrasyllabic-and-trisyllabic pairs

alluvial, pluvial
behaviour, saviour
commodity, oddity (In GA, these rhyme with Alaudidae)
emergency, urgency
habitual, ritual
sarrusophone, sousaphone

Pentasyllabic-and-tetrasyllabic pairs

annihilated, violated
illuminated, ruminated

External links

^ In many dialects, these also rhyme with oil, soil, boil, spoil, mohel, etc.
^ Dickens, Charles; Ainsworth, William Harrison; Smith, Albert (1842). "Bentley's Miscellany".

[1] In many dialects, these also rhyme with oil, soil, boil, spoil, mohel, etc.

[2] Dickens, Charles; Ainsworth, William Harrison; Smith, Albert (1842). "Bentley's Miscellany".

[1]

[2]