# Words w/no rhyme **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 29, 2000, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800 "2000-03-29T08:19:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![D\_Nice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@D\_Nice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Nice)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/21 "2000-04-01T04:05:00Z")
antidisestablishmentarianism ## I think that is how you spell that. ## Micro$oft spel chucker wroks like a charm * * * The computer has brought more problems to man then any other invention in history. That is unless you consider Tequilla an invention. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/22 "2000-04-01T04:35:00Z")
Deoxyribonucleic acid: placid, flaccid. Riboflavin: spavin, maven, craven, haven. ASA: array, display, allay, repay. BTW: The jewel thief was just so bloody eloquent The jeweller never found out where the relic went. ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2000, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/23 "2000-04-01T07:50:00Z")
Just so we’re all talking about the same thing, let’s pull out the old poetics textbook… The strict definition of “rhyme” is two words which contain exactly the same sounds from the last stressed syllable onwards. English, having been influenced by so many different languages over the centuries, has a great variety of ways to end words – and, consequently, a smaller number of words sharing any single ending. (Compare this to many Romance languages, in which all – or almost all – of the masculine nouns rhyme, the feminine nouns rhyme, the present-tense verbs rhyme, or whatever. Dante wrote The Divine Comedy – several hundred pages, ALL in rhyming triplets! Try THAT in English! 🙂 ) Thus, we English speakers must get very creative, with near-rhyme, run-on rhyme, etc. Consider this deathless drivel: "Every time I see your face It reminds me of the places We used to go But all I’ve got is a photograph And I realize you’re not coming back Any more" One might say NONE of these are strictly rhymes. But our ears hear them as such. And besides, having few strict rhymes to work with forces us to be creative – as so many of the posters in this thread have demonstrated. So, at long last, we are all correct – there are a number of words in the English language for which no STRICT rhyme exists; but with sufficeint creativity, any sound can be worked into a rhyme scheme. * * * “The dawn of a new era is felt and not measured.” Walter Lord ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/24 "2000-04-02T02:55:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Beruang: > …let’s pull out the old poetics textbook… > The strict definition of “rhyme” is two words which contain exactly the same sounds from the last stressed syllable onwards. … I like the way you moved away from this “old poetics textbook”'s “strict,” definition of rhyme. I hasten to emphasize, (as you may or may not have meant to suggest), that relying on any one textbook definition — (“strict” or not, “old” or not) — does not lend to a practical understanding and process of any “poetry.” Moreover, whatever “old” textbook you referred does not seem to recognize what any other textbook I’ve seen recognizes: That is, there are _many, many different_ kinds of poetry and poetry processes and/so there is no strict definition for what is poetry. Theories suggesting otherwise are no real contribution to understanding. What poetic theory has the capacity to try to do, in coming up with textbooks, is simply survey what’s been done and try to categorize it into types and other such labeling, explanations, criticism… Any decidedly “strict” definition would pertain to some aspect or category of poetics—and _not at all_ to any whole body and potentials of poetry. Agreed? ---
**Author:** ![SilentKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@SilentKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SilentKnight)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/25 "2000-04-02T03:02:00Z")
Oriole ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/26 "2000-04-02T03:33:00Z")
Oriole rhymes with boreal. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/27 "2000-04-02T03:37:00Z")
Another hard (impossible?) to rhyme word: Depth ---
**Author:** ![MrKnowItAll](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrknowitall/32/87_2.png) [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/28 "2000-04-02T06:29:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Hunsecker: > \*\* Or from Primus’ Mr. Know-it-all > > I am Mr. Know-it-all > I am so eloquent > Perfection is my middle name > And whatever rhymes with eloquent.\*\* Gee, I hadn’t heard that before. I think I’ve found a new sig… ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2000, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/29 "2000-04-02T18:51:00Z")
oriole, boreal, editorial, senatorial. ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/30 "2000-04-03T03:38:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by labradorian:]oriole … editorial _Yes._ ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/31 "2000-04-03T03:41:00Z")
tootsie to the toilet roll? (to add the “l” sound) ---
**Author:** ![Major\_Feelgud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3be4f8/32.png) [@Major\_Feelgud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Feelgud)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2000, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/32 "2000-04-03T06:39:00Z")
Lozenge rhymes with orange. ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/33 "2000-04-04T05:40:00Z")
> [@](#): > > by ASPA: > …poetic theory has the capacity to…simply survey what’s been done and try to categorize it into types and other such labeling, explanations, criticism… Not criticism — I meant to say trends. I couldn’t hold back the note. ---
**Author:** ![Beruang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2000, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/34 "2000-04-04T13:38:00Z")
ASPA – Sorry; I was computerless for a couple of days. But yes: I gave the “strict” definition of “rhyme” to illustrate that the answer to this question – indeed, the answer to most any question – relies on your definition of terms. If one looks at the strict definition of rhyme, then several words in English, “orange” most famous among them, have no rhyme. BUT, if one looks at what rhyme does in a language, how it works, what effect it has, one quickly realizes that one can bend that strict definition and develop near rhyme, slant rhyme, sight rhyme, run-on rhyme, etc. etc. for any word. My favorite? “Orange” and “door hinge.” Fails the strict test, but the echoing sound has its rhyming effect just the same. I hope this clarifies. – Beruang * * * “The dawn of a new era is felt and not measured.” Walter Lord ---
**Author:** ![ASPA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b19c9b/32.png) [@ASPA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASPA)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2000, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800/35 "2000-04-06T04:26:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Beruang: > \*\*_ASPA – > …yes: I gave the “strict” definition of “rhyme” to illustrate…one can bend that strict definition and develop near rhyme, slant rhyme, sight rhyme, run-on rhyme, etc. etc. for any word. > My favorite? “Orange” and “door hinge.” > – Beruang[/B_ Hey, I think I just discovered _my_ favorite in your example: Thanx, that’s perfect imaginiation! (I just wonder where you got the strict definition, though, 'cause truly I never heard of that cut-and-dried all-exclusive dictate. I don’t expect you have that info handy, and, anyway, if you have more of those perfectly fantastic rhymes, you may just as likely share that instead.) Thanx again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-w-no-rhyme/9800.md?page=1)