A rhyme occurs when two or more words end with the same or similar sounds. “Cat” and “hat” rhyme because they both end with the -at sound. “Brain” and “train” rhyme. So do “light” and “kite,” even though they're spelled differently.

Poets use rhymes to make their writing musical and memorable. Think about nursery rhymes you learned as a small child: the rhyming words helped you remember them. Dr. Seuss filled his books with playful rhymes like “One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish.” Song lyrics almost always include rhymes because they make the words flow smoothly and stick in your memory.

Rhyme can also be used as a verb. When you rhyme two words, you're matching their ending sounds. If someone asks you to rhyme with “star,” you might say “car” or “far.”

Some rhymes are perfect (like “moon” and “June”), while others are close but not exact (like “love” and “move”). Poets call these near rhymes or slant rhymes. The phrase “rhyme or reason” means logical sense or pattern. If something has no rhyme or reason, it seems completely random and senseless, like assignments that have nothing to do with what you're studying in class.