Feminine rhyme
A feminine rhyme is a rhyme of two syllables, where the stressed syllable is followed by an unstressed one, as in "dreary" and "weary".
Poe's opening line rhymes "dreary" with "weary", two syllables each, with the stress on the first.
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Edgar Allan Poe, "The Raven", 1845
What it is
In a feminine rhyme the matching sounds run across a stressed syllable and the unstressed one after it, so the line seems to trail off. It sounds softer than a masculine rhyme. English has fewer of them, so they take more work to find.
Why it matters to a writer or editor
Feminine rhymes give a lighter, more flowing close, and in comic verse they are a classic source of humor. If a poem feels abrupt, try changing some line endings to a two-syllable word.
Frequently asked questions
What is a triple rhyme?
A rhyme over three syllables, such as "intellectual" and "hen-peck'd you all". It is a comic effect, used by Byron and by writers of light verse.