Slant Rhyme Making Poetry Easier: A Parent’s Guide to Introducing It to Kids and Teens

If your child enjoys poetry, or if you're looking for creative ways to help them engage with language, introducing them to slant rhyme can be an exciting way to spark their interest. Slant rhyme (also called near rhyme, half rhyme, or imperfect rhyme) is when words almost rhyme but don’t quite match perfectly in sound. This subtle poetic tool is used by some poets—including Emily Dickinson, who used it frequently to create a sense of tension, surprise, and depth in her work. This form or rhyme can be considered "cheating." That being said, it can be a great way to build up your child's confidence when working towards identifying similar sounds. Poetry is a form of self-expression and as you will see in the examples below, slant rhymes have been used throughout time but as a rule, common rhymes are the preferred form of rhyme and what most people enjoy reading.

Slant Rhyme

In traditional rhyme, words sound identical or very close to identical in their ending sounds, like "cat" and "hat" or "bright" and "light." Slant rhyme, however, occurs when only part of the words rhyme—such as their consonants or vowels—creating a less obvious but still musical effect.

For example, in Emily Dickinson’s poem "I heard a Fly buzz – when I died –" (1862), she writes:

A historic portrait of Emily Dickinson, showcasing her poised and enigmatic presence, reflective of her profound impact on American poetry.

I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -

The Stillness in the Room

Was like the Stillness in the Air -

Between the Heaves of Storm -

The Eyes around - had wrung them dry -

And Breaths were gathering firm

For that last Onset - when the King

Be witnessed - in the Room -

I willed my Keepsakes - Signed away

What portion of me be

Assignable - and then it was

There interposed a Fly -

With Blue - uncertain - stumbling Buzz -

Between the light - and me -

And then the Windows failed - and then

I could not see to see -

Here, "Room" and "Storm" do not fully rhyme but share a similar ending -m sound. This creates a delicate, unresolved feeling that mirrors the poem’s theme of uncertainty in death. Can you find any more?

Why Introduce Slant Rhyme to Children and Teens?

Encourages Creativity: Slant rhyme allows young poets to play with sound without being restricted by perfect rhymes.
Strengthens Listening Skills: Learning slant rhyme helps children develop an ear for subtle sound variations in words.
Develops a Love for Poetry: Many young writers get frustrated when they can’t find a perfect rhyme—slant rhyme gives them more freedom to express themselves.
Deepens Appreciation for Literature: Understanding slant rhyme enhances their ability to analyze and appreciate famous poets like Emily Dickinson, Wilfred Owen, and Gerard Manley Hopkins.

How to Teach Slant Rhyme to Kids and Teens

Start with Examples from DickinsonRead lines from Dickinson’s poetry aloud and ask your child if they notice how the words are similar but not exact rhymes. Another great example comes from "Hope is the thing with feathers" (1891):
I've heard it in the chillest land –And on the strangest Sea –Yet – never – in Extremity,It asked a crumb – of Me.
"Sea" and "Extremity" don’t form a perfect rhyme, but the repeated long "ee" sound links them together musically.
Write Your Own Slant RhymesChallenge your child to come up with near rhymes for words like "home" or *"light." They might come up with "calm/home" or "bite/light"—these are great slant rhymes!
Find Slant Rhymes in SongsMany modern songs use slant rhymes to create interesting lyrics. Listen to their favorite songs and point out words that almost rhyme.
Use a Rhyming Dictionary Help them explore new words by using an online rhyming dictionary that includes near rhymes.

Examples of Slant Rhyme

Here are 20 examples of slant rhymes you can share:

Room / Storm
Land / Friend
On / Moon
Shape / Keep
Time / Mine
Thing / Song
Blood / Wood
Gone / Alone
Cold / Soul
Tell / Call
Grave / Have
Deep / Lap
Light / Mate
Past / Cost
Said / Paid
Dark / Work
Fire / Far
Run / Done
Near / Star
Bell / Will

Slant Rhyme Search Game

Now, let’s put our knowledge into action! Below are three short poems from public-domain poets. Each contains at least three slant rhymes. Can you and your child find them?

1. From "A Dream Within a Dream" by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!

And, in parting from you now,

Thus much let me avow—

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away

In a night, or in a day,

In a vision, or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone?

2."Then Hate Me When Thou Wilt" by William Shakespeare

If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last,

When other petty griefs have done their spite,

But in the onset come; so I shall taste

At first the very worst of fortune's might….

3. Vergissmeinnicht (German for ‘forget me not’) by Keith Douglas

But she would weep to see today

how on his skin the swart flies move;

the dust upon the paper eye

and the burst stomach like a cave.

For here the lover and killer are mingled

who had one body and one heart.

And death who had the soldier singled

has done the lover mortal hurt.

Encourage your child to find the slant rhymes in these poems. Talk about how they affect the tone and rhythm of each piece. Do they like how slant rhyme sounds? Again, remember that slant rhyme is an alternative way to find rhymes when in a tough spot. If you enter a poem into a poetry contest, or to be published, the common rhyme is what judges and editors will look for. As one develops their rhyming abilities true rhymes should be the ultimate goal.

Happy rhyming!