Eye rhyme

An eye rhyme is a pair of words that are spelled alike at the end but sound different, such as "love" and "prove".

Marlowe's famous invitation rhymes "love" and "prove". In his day the vowels may have been closer, and today they look like a rhyme but do not sound like one.

Come live with me and be my love,
And we will all the pleasures prove,

Christopher Marlowe, 1599

What it is

An eye rhyme matches on the page and not in the mouth. Other pairs are "cough" and "bough" and "wind" and "mind". Poets sometimes choose them on purpose, and sometimes a change in pronunciation leaves them behind.

Why it matters to a writer or editor

If you are reading older poetry, an apparent eye rhyme may have been a true rhyme once. In new work, an eye rhyme reads as a slight mismatch to the ear, which can be useful or just look like a slip.

Frequently asked questions

Why do eye rhymes exist?

Pronunciation changes over time. Words that rhymed when a poem was written may not rhyme now, and the spelling keeps the old match.