We Bet You Can’t Rhyme These 10 Words
Updated: Nov. 16, 2021
You'll have to invent new words if you want to rhyme "orange"—or any of these.
Month
Poets must be really bummed out that no word rhymes with “month.” It seems like the word “month” would come in handy for love poems that you need to write early in your relationship. As in, “I’ve dated you for almost a month/ Hanging out with you is lots of funth.” That’s just not romantic.
Silver
No wonder gold is worth more! Everything rhymes with it! Old, bold, told, sold. However, it’s impossible to rhyme the word silver. Robert Frost penned his famous poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay” back in 1923. It starts like this: “Nature’s first green is gold, /Her hardest hue to hold.” Imagine if he’d tried it this way instead:” Nature’s first green is silver/ Her hardest hue to de-lil-ver.” See why poets prefer the word gold?
Bulb
Bulb is such an excellent word, it’s hard to believe it’s doesn’t have any word that rhymes with it. What is a poet supposed to use when they want to convey a great idea? “Above your head, a flashing bulb/ Great idea! You’re no schlub.” Except maybe you are, because “bulb” and “schlub” don’t rhyme. No need for poetry when you have 17 light bulb jokes to make you sound smart.
Wolf
Chances are, you’re not going to need to come up with a rhyme for the word “wolf.” “Golf” is not going to work and neither will “Ralph.” If you really need to go for it, be like Duran Duran in their ’80s hit “Hungry like the Wolf.” Rhyme everything except the title and chorus! Look at how these rock star lyricists fake you out with almost-rhymes: “Burning the ground I break from the crowd” and “mouth is alive with juices like wine” and “strut on a line it’s discord and rhyme.” They left “wolf” alone. No rhymes needed!
Walrus
Remember how the famous Beatles song “I am the Walrus” gets so trippy? Nothing rhymes with “walrus.” Especially, “I am the egg man.” If you’re writing an ode to the ocean or any maritime love songs, go ahead and mention whales, fish, sharks, and seals. Plenty of rhyming choices there. Toss in some “goo goo g’joob”s. It worked for the Beatles!
Rhythm
Ever wonder why they call it “Rhythm and Blues,” instead of “Blues and Rhythm?” Probably because nothing rhymes with rhythm, but so much rhymes with blues. Including lots of “oohs” if you’re singing. It’s pretty unfair that we don’t have any words to rhyme with “rhythm” since you should have a strong sense of rhythm if you’re writing poetry or song lyrics. Let’s face it, they usually rhyme.
Husband
One of the most important words ever rhymes with “wife.” The word “life.” (Also “strife.”) But nothing rhymes with husband. What is going on with that, Cupid? “Roses are red, glad we’re wed./ I love my husband/He’s my dustbin . . . bunion . . . cummerbund.” This is why we can’t talk in verse in real life. Skip the poetry and get some sleep.
Woman
Shakespeare is a virtuoso of the English Language. In part because he always came up with a work-around for the fact that nothing rhymes with woman. Why aren’t there any rhymes for woman? How did Shakespeare make it through all those love sonnets and romances without a rhyme for woman? It’s not a surprise that he decided to compare his woman to a “summer’s day?” And carry on about the “darling buds of May.” It would have been tragedy to begin with: “This summer’s day is like my woman/ Darling May buds are spicy as cumin.” Ugh! Here’s 21 everyday phrases invented by Shakespeare.
Purple
There are plenty of words that almost rhyme with “purple,” but nothing takes the cake exactly. If you need to rhyme “purple” try “turtle.” As in: “Roses are red, violets are purple. Stems are green and so is my turtle.” Yikes. Better stick with blue violets or lilac. “Violets are lilac and so is my love shack.” See? Plenty of other options. Check out these fun facts about colors .
Originally Published: September 05, 2017
