End Rhyme Examples and Activities

What is an end rhyme?

End rhyme is when two words at the end of separate verses rhyme. In particular, the final syllable of each of those two words is what makes those verses rhyme. Some people also refer to end rhymes as “tail rhymes.”

It’s important to note that end rhymes do not need to occur in consecutive lines. This means those lines do not need to be placed exactly one after the other.

When we encounter poetry, even in lyric form, it’s true that writers implement end rhymes quite frequently. End rhymes provide a beat and rhythm to a poem that makes poetry unique.

Using end rhyme effectively is an important part of understanding syllables and sounds. As learners integrate end rhymes in original poetry, they will have to use critical and creative thinking skills in order to determine which words rhyme best.

Examples

To review end rhyme, let’s take a look at a few different poems from a variety of authors. We’ll look at one stanza at a time.

In Emily Dickson’s “I Am Nobody. Who are You?,” the first two verses conclude in words that rhyme, “you” and “too.”

I’m nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us — don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.

In “Old Dog,” two verses in the first stanza also rhyme, although those verses do not appear exactly one after the other, “true” and “you.”

With great big brown eyes
And a heart pure and true,
She wagged her long tail,
While she looked at you.

In “The Seagull,” there are a total of four lines and two sets of end rhymes: “shore” and “roar” as well as “white” and “flight.”

The seagull lives along the shore
And flies above the ocean’s roar.
His body gleams in gray and white
Against the sky when he takes flight.

End rhymes appear frequently in poetry. In order to implement them into original poetry, a learner should be prepared to brainstorm a list of words and choose which words fit and rhyme together the best.

Building one’s vocabulary is an important part of building one’s skills to implement end rhymes!

CCSS Standard
R.2, R.3, R.4, R.5, R.6, RF.2, W.5

End Rhyme Printable Activities (PDFs)