rhyming dictionary

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July 13, 2026

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A rhyming dictionary is a reference book that organizes words by their rhyming sounds. It groups words that rhyme together, making it easier for writers and poets to find suitable words for their work.1

Rhyme itself is the correspondence of similar-sounding final syllables in words, used to create pleasing sounds and structure in poetry. There are different types of rhyme, including masculine rhyme (same vowel-consonant sound, e.g., stand/land), feminine rhyme (two syllables rhyme, e.g., profession/discretion), and trisyllabic rhyme (three syllables rhyme). Other forms include eye rhyme (cough/slough) and pararhyme (grand/grind). The first rhyming dictionary was produced in 1570.23

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From Classical times to 1604
The first rhyming dictionary, by Peter Levens, was produced in 1570—Manipulus Vocabulorum. A Dictionary of English and Latin Words, Set Forth in Such Order, as None Heretofore Hath Been.
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The first rhyming dictionary, by Peter Levens, was produced in 1570—Manipulus Vocabulorum. A Dictionary of English and Latin Words, Set Forth in Such Order, as None Heretofore Hath Been.
Read More