Masculine rhyme

A masculine rhyme is a rhyme on a single stressed syllable at the end of the line, as in "breast" and "blest".

Pope rhymes "breast" and "blest", each stressed on its only syllable.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast;
Man never Is, but always To be blest.

Alexander Pope, "An Essay on Man", 1733

What it is

The rhyme sits on the final syllable of the line and that syllable is stressed. It sounds firm and closed. Most English rhymes are masculine, since English has many short, stressed words.

Why it matters to a writer or editor

Masculine rhymes land with a thud, which suits decisive endings. A poem made only of them can feel clipped, so poets mix in feminine rhyme for a softer fall.

Frequently asked questions

Does masculine mean anything about gender?

No. The names come from old French grammar and are just labels. Masculine rhyme is a one-syllable rhyme and feminine rhyme is a two-syllable one.