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Glite Dictionary
head rhyme

head rhyme

8.6
The same first sound at the start of important words in a line of poetry
  • noun
  • /hɛd raɪm/
  • Literature
translation icon : rima inicial
  • Children love tongue twisters that feature head rhyme, like 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.'

Examples

  • The poet skillfully used head rhyme to create a musical effect in her verse.

  • In Old English poetry, head rhyme was more common than end rhyme.

  • The poem features a beautiful head rhyme throughout.

  • Many poets use head rhymes to enhance their verses.

  • Children love tongue twisters that feature head rhyme, like 'Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.'

  • In Old English poetry, head rhyme was more common than end rhyme.

  • The poet skillfully used head rhyme to create a musical effect in her verse.

Synonyms

alliteration
vshead rhyme
  • Literature
8 5.1

The use of the same sound at the start of nearby words, often in poems

restricts this to repeated sounds on stressed syllables within a single verse line
initial rhyme
vshead rhyme
  • Literature
7.4

Repeating the same consonant sound at the start of each stressed syllable in a line of verse

is the exact technical term for that identical poetic pattern
beginning rhyme
vshead rhyme
  • Literature
6.0

Repetition of the same sound at the start of stressed words or syllables in a line of verse

is the same pattern but often called by the common poetic name

Surface Forms

head rhyme singular
head rhymes plural

Morphology

head + rhyme

The constituents 'head' (beginning/front) and 'rhyme' (matching sounds) make it possible to infer the general idea of rhyme occurring at the beginning of words (i.e., rhyme at the head). However, the precise technical meaning — repetition of initial consonant sounds in stressed syllables (essentially alliteration) — is domain-specific and not fully predictable for an average B1 learner, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Head rhyme is a name for when the head, or start, of several words repeats the same sound, the rhyme, like 'Peter Piper'. So, head rhyme means repeating the first sound of words to make a musical or playful effect.