Words can rhyme — Language, 4–6 years
Rhyming words have an ending sound that matches or nearly matches, such as “cat” and “hat”.
Listen to the word endings
Words rhyme when their ending sounds match, as in “cat” and “hat”. The first sounds can be different, while the last part sounds alike. Rhyming is something you hear; the letters may look different or be absent when people speak.
Why do people use rhyme?
Before many people could read, songs and poems were carried by speaking and memory. Matching sounds made the next line easier to remember and made a group’s words feel connected. Rhyme still helps us notice sounds and enjoy the pattern of speech.
Testing a rhyme
1. Say “fish” slowly and listen to its ending: “-ish”. 2. Say “dish” and hear the same ending. 3. Say “sun”; its ending is “-un”, so it does not rhyme with “fish”. 4. “Fish” and “dish” rhyme because their ending sounds match, even though their first sounds differ.
Rhyme is about sound, not spelling
You may think two words rhyme because they end with the same letters, or do not rhyme because they look different. That is reasonable when we first notice words on a page. Say them aloud instead: in English, “blue” and “shoe” rhyme, although their spellings do not match.
Rhymes help songs and memory
You hear rhyme in songs, nursery rhymes, jokes and short poems. A matching ending can help you guess or remember the next word, such as in a counting song. Rhyming is useful when the sound pattern is wanted; it is not needed in every kind of speaking.
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