Masculine Rhyme
Quick answer: Masculine rhyme is rhyme on a single stressed final syllable, as in defend and pretend. Learn how it differs from feminine rhyme and when to choose it.
Masculine rhyme is rhyme that falls on a single stressed syllable at the end of the line: 'stone' and 'alone', 'defend' and 'pretend', 'bright' and 'tonight'. Whether the words have one syllable or several, what matters is that the rhyme lives entirely in the final syllable and that syllable carries the stress. It is the commonest rhyme in English verse, because English loves to end its phrases on a strong beat.
The traditional gendered label comes from French grammar, where words with a final mute e were called feminine; nothing about the term describes writers or readers, and some modern handbooks prefer 'single rhyme'. Whatever you call it, its effect is definite: a masculine rhyme closes a line like a latch clicking shut.
How It Works
Stress and rhyme coincide on the last syllable, so the line ends with maximum force. An invented couplet: 'The dog knows every footstep on the stair, / and lifts his head for one that is not there.' 'Stair' and 'there' are single stressed syllables; the couplet ends squarely, no falling away.
Compare the feminine alternative, where an unstressed syllable follows the stress ('turning' and 'burning') and the line ends on a fade. Masculine rhyme gives punch and finality; feminine rhyme gives echo and softness. Most rhymed English poems use masculine rhyme as the default and reserve feminine rhymes for variation.
Where You Will See It
Practically everywhere in the canon. Pope's heroic couplets close overwhelmingly on stressed monosyllables, which is part of their epigrammatic snap. The hymn tradition leans on masculine rhyme for its firm cadences. Frost's 'Whose woods these are I think I know' stanza rhymes know, though, snow: all masculine, all decisive, which suits a poem about stopping.
Songwriters know the distinction instinctively: verses often alternate feminine endings for flow, then land the chorus hook on a masculine rhyme so it hits.
How to Use It in Your Own Poems
Choose masculine rhyme when you want lines to feel concluded: aphorism, argument, resolve, endings. Because the stress lands on the rhyme word, that word gets double prominence, so spend it on words that can bear inspection. A weak or padded word in masculine rhyme position is twice as visible as anywhere else.
For longer poems, alternate masculine with feminine endings now and then; unbroken masculine rhyme can march when you want it to walk. Judges reading for structure hear that variety as control of pace.
What poets can take from this
- End on stressed syllables when the line's content is firm, final or argumentative.
- Give the rhyme position to strong nouns and verbs; the double spotlight of stress and rhyme magnifies weak choices.
- Alternate with feminine rhymes across a long poem to avoid a hammering effect.
- Multisyllabic words still make masculine rhymes if the final syllable is stressed (regret/forget).
- Read line endings aloud; if your voice naturally falls after the rhyme, you may want a feminine ending instead.
Try it yourself
Write a 12-line poem of advice from an older relative who speaks in certainties. Use only masculine rhymes, and let the clipped, stressed endings carry the speaker's bluntness. Then rewrite the final couplet with feminine rhymes and notice how the authority softens.
Questions
What is the difference between masculine and feminine rhyme?
Masculine rhyme matches a single stressed final syllable (stone/alone); feminine rhyme matches a stressed syllable plus at least one unstressed syllable after it (turning/burning). One ends firmly, the other trails off.
Why is it called masculine rhyme?
The label comes from French grammar, where feminine words ended in a mute e and gave a falling ending, while masculine words ended on the sounded stress. It describes word endings, not anything about poets, and 'single rhyme' is a common neutral alternative.
By the Writory editorial team, reviewed by working poets. Updated July 2026.
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