Rhyming dictionary
Encyclopedia
A rhyming dictionary is a specialist dictionary
designed for use in writing poetry
and lyrics
. In a rhyming dictionary, words are categorized into equivalence classes that consist of words which rhyme
with one another. They will also typically support several different kinds of rhymes, and possibly also alliteration
as well.
Because rhyming dictionaries are based on pronunciation
, they are difficult to compile. Words and rhyming patterns change their pronunciation over time and between dialect
s. Rhyming dictionaries for Old English
, Elizabethan poetry, or Standard English
would have quite different content.
As rhyming dictionaries arrange the whole language according to its word terminations, they can be useful in solving crossword puzzles
.
Examples:
Dictionary
A dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
designed for use in writing poetry
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
. In a rhyming dictionary, words are categorized into equivalence classes that consist of words which rhyme
Rhyme
A rhyme is a repetition of similar sounds in two or more words and is most often used in poetry and songs. The word "rhyme" may also refer to a short poem, such as a rhyming couplet or other brief rhyming poem such as nursery rhymes.-Etymology:...
with one another. They will also typically support several different kinds of rhymes, and possibly also alliteration
Alliteration
In language, alliteration refers to the repetition of a particular sound in the first syllables of Three or more words or phrases. Alliteration has historically developed largely through poetry, in which it more narrowly refers to the repetition of a consonant in any syllables that, according to...
as well.
Because rhyming dictionaries are based on pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
, they are difficult to compile. Words and rhyming patterns change their pronunciation over time and between dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s. Rhyming dictionaries for Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
, Elizabethan poetry, or Standard English
Standard English
Standard English refers to whatever form of the English language is accepted as a national norm in an Anglophone country...
would have quite different content.
As rhyming dictionaries arrange the whole language according to its word terminations, they can be useful in solving crossword puzzles
Crossword
A crossword is a word puzzle that normally takes the form of a square or rectangular grid of white and shaded squares. The goal is to fill the white squares with letters, forming words or phrases, by solving clues which lead to the answers. In languages that are written left-to-right, the answer...
.
Simple reverse dictionary
Walker's Rhyming Dictionary, one of the oldest, lists words in alphabetical order of the reversed word, with an appendix covering the differently spelled but homo-phonic endings.Examples:
| Word | Reversed | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Felucca | acculef | A small open boat, s. |
| Angelica | acilegna | A plant, s. |
| Basilica | acilisab | The middle vein of the arm, a. |
| Vomica | acimov | An encysted tumour in the lungs, a. |
| Pica | acip | The green sickness; a printing letter, a. |
| Sciatica | acitaics | The hip-gout, s. |
| Anasarca | acrasana | A sort of dropsy, or pitting of the flesh, s. |
| Armada | adamra | A large fleet of ships of war, s. |
| Cassada | adassac | An American plant, s. |
| Coloquintida | aditniuqoloc | The bitter apple, s. |
| Asafoetida | aditeofasa | A stinking gum, s. |
| Credenda | adnederc | Articles of faith, s. plur. |
| Panacea | aecanap | A universal medicine; an herh, a. |
| Idea | aedi | Mental imagination, s. |
| Bohea | aehob | A species of tea, s. |
| Lea | ael | Grass land enclosed, s, |
| Flea | aelf | A troublesome insect, s. -r |