Definition

1. Noun:
   • A type of rhyme where words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently: An "eye rhyme" is a literary device where two or more words look like they should rhyme based on their spelling, but they do not rhyme when spoken aloud. It is considered an imperfect or sight rhyme.

Usage

• "Eye rhyme" is used primarily in the analysis of poetry and verse to describe a deliberate or incidental correspondence in spelling without a correspondence in sound.
• It functions as a countable noun (e.g., "an eye rhyme," "several eye rhymes").

Examples

• Noun:
  • The words "cough" and "bough" are a classic example of an eye rhyme.
  • The poet used an eye rhyme between "watch" and "match" to create a visual link on the page.
  • In the stanza, "prove" and "love" form an eye rhyme rather than a true auditory rhyme.

Advanced Usage

• As a poetic technique: Eye rhymes can be used intentionally to create a specific visual effect, suggest connections, or reflect historical pronunciation changes.
  • Modern readers might miss the intended auditory rhymes in Shakespeare's sonnets due to eye rhymes created by shifts in pronunciation over time.

Variants and Related Words

• Sight rhyme: A direct synonym for "eye rhyme."
• Imperfect rhyme: A broader category of rhymes that are not exact, which includes eye rhymes, slant rhymes, and others.
• True rhyme / Perfect rhyme: The opposite concept, where words rhyme both in sound and often in spelling (e.g., "cat" and "hat").

Synonyms

• Sight rhyme
• Visual rhyme

Notes

• "Eye rhyme" is a specific term within literary and poetic analysis. It is not typically used in general conversation.
• It is important to distinguish it from homographs (words spelled the same) and homophones (words that sound the same), as eye rhyme specifically refers to the of a rhyme that is not realized in speech.

Noun

1. an imperfect rhyme (e.g., `love' and `move')