What is Internal Rhyme?
An internal rhyme is a rhyme that happens within a single line, or between a word in the middle of a line and a word in another line, rather than only at the line endings.
Internal rhymes add rhythm and momentum, because the ear hears the echo before the end of the line. They are a staple of rap and are common in pop and musical theater too.
They are often combined with multisyllabic rhymes, so the same sound appears several times across a couple of bars.
Use them to highlight a key phrase; filling every line with them can make a lyric feel like a tongue twister.
Example
In the line I came to play and stay all day, the words play, stay and day rhyme inside the line.
Put it to work
Find rhymes and slant rhymes to build internal rhyme patterns.
Rhyme Finder