# Short words that are eye-rhymes but don't ear-rhyme **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 2, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146 "2007-08-02T16:43:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/21 "2007-08-02T18:31:30Z")
few, brew, dew, whew, sew (Thanks, **Ivory**!) ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/22 "2007-08-02T18:37:14Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] Great lists, gang. Spot the weirdo: bee, fee, gee, lee, nee, see, tee, wee [/QUOTE] nee- (nay) but you forgot the accent!! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/23 "2007-08-02T18:39:10Z")
[QUOTE=IvoryTowerDenizen] nee- (nay) but you forgot the accent!! 🙂 [/QUOTE] Oops. Didn’t want that extra clue, so I cheated! ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/24 "2007-08-02T18:42:54Z")
See if you can think of another oddball than the one in this group: Bay, cay, day, gay, hay, jay, lay, may, nay, pay, ray, say, way It may need more letters… ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/25 "2007-08-02T18:46:34Z")
heat, seat, wheat, treat, great Yes, I’m enjoying myself – why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/26 "2007-08-02T18:57:34Z")
[QUOTE=Asimovian] heat, seat, wheat, treat, great Yes, I’m enjoying myself – why do you ask? [/QUOTE] We can become SEA – Society of the Easily Amused ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/27 "2007-08-02T19:00:23Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] We can become SEA – Society of the Easily Amused [/QUOTE] “can become”? Say it loud – we’re SEA and we’re proud! ---
**Author:** ![Parthol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/dec6dc/32.png) [@Parthol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Parthol)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/28 "2007-08-02T19:01:38Z")
rook took shook cook nook crook book hook brook … mook ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/29 "2007-08-02T19:07:26Z")
[QUOTE=Parthol] rook took shook cook nook crook book hook brook … mook [/QUOTE] I’ll see your mook and toss in gook, kook and wook (if you can have a Wookie, why not a Wook – a baby Wookie?) ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/30 "2007-08-02T19:08:57Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] …(if you can have a Wookie, why not a Wook – a baby Wookie?) [/QUOTE] Wasn’t that an old Marx Bros. routine … “Why a Wook?” ? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/31 "2007-08-02T19:18:52Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Wasn’t that an old Marx Bros. routine … “Why a Wook?” ? 😉 [/QUOTE] That might just be. At least as logical as “why a duck?” if you ask me. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/32 "2007-08-02T19:53:35Z")
[QUOTE=Zeldar] See if you can think of another oddball than the one in this group: Bay, cay, day, gay, hay, jay, lay, may, nay, pay, ray, say, way It may need more letters… [/QUOTE] I don’t see one, unless there is a pronunciation of “cay” I’m ignorant about. Are you alluding to quay, which I gather might be pronounced “key”?? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/33 "2007-08-02T20:05:23Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] I don’t see one, unless there is a pronunciation of “cay” I’m ignorant about. Are you alluding to quay, which I gather might be pronounced “key”?? [/QUOTE] You got the one I meant. According to Dick “cay” can be pronounced “KEY” or “KAY” with the first one being the “KEY” version. I will admit to not using this word a lot. If I see it in print I say “KAY” to myself and even wonder what spelling is involved when I hear “KEY” (key, quay, cay, whatever) spoken. For the sake of the thread and the weirdo-in-the-list concept, I threw this one in for consideration. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/34 "2007-08-02T20:06:00Z")
tomb, womb… bomb, aplomb… comb ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/35 "2007-08-02T20:12:22Z")
cowl, fowl, jowl, owl, bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/36 "2007-08-02T20:13:46Z")
[QUOTE=Max Torque] cowl, fowl, jowl, owl, bowl. [/QUOTE] Bravo! ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/37 "2007-08-02T20:17:41Z")
Goad, load, road, toad, woad … broad. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/38 "2007-08-02T20:27:54Z")
doll, moll, poll, roll, stroll, toll dolly, folly, golly, Molly, Polly ---
**Author:** ![Pithy\_Moniker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8dc957/32.png) [@Pithy\_Moniker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pithy_Moniker)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/39 "2007-08-02T21:20:16Z")
all, fall, tall, wall, shall… Have I got the gist of it? ---
**Author:** ![Karen\_Lingel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karen_lingel/32/18649_2.png) [@Karen\_Lingel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karen_Lingel)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2007, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146/40 "2007-08-02T21:21:52Z")
There’s the famous w-vowel-r-consonant rule (ok, maybe not famous to people who don’t write articles in Physics Today about the proper pronunciation of “quark”) where any word with w-vowel-r-consonant is pronounced differently that other eye-rhyming words. wart/cart word/cord work/cork ward/card There’s a millon of 'em. -k- [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-words-that-are-eye-rhymes-but-dont-ear-rhyme/414146.md?page=3)