Quantcast
Words that rhyme with knives — 2611 rhymes by quality | Rhyme Land
RhymeLand

the rhymes and the songs that used them

Words that rhyme withknives

masculine
Masculine this word

Ends on a stressed syllable — a one-syllable rhyme, or a multisyllable word whose primary stress lands last. The rhyme hits the final beat, the way most rhymes in songs do.

Examples

love · dove · today · believe · forgot

Feminine

Ends with an unstressed syllable trailing the stressed one — always at least two syllables. The rhyme lands a beat earlier and trails off softly.

Examples

river · mother · follow · breaking · mountain

Masculine and feminine endings rarely sing together (the rhyme lands on a different beat), so they're kept apart here.

 vowel AY coda V·Z
24
What it is
  1. The syllables' vowel sounds are identical.
  2. The sounds after the vowels (if any) are identical.
  3. The syllables begin differently.
How it feels
  1. Perfect
  2. Family
  3. Additive / Subtractive
  4. Assonance
  5. Consonance
resolvedunresolved
Example

cat / hat — same AE vowel, same T ending

Source
Berklee College of Music's songwriting method (Pat Pattison)
1 syllable
wives6drives1fives1dives2thrives1chiveshives1Ivesjives3rivesshives
2 syllables
arrives2survives3archives1beehives1contrivesdeprivesderivesMaldives
3 syllables
overdrives1
8
What it is
  1. The syllables' vowel sounds are identical.
  2. The sounds after the vowels come from the same phonetic family (e.g. T↔D, P↔B, M↔N).
  3. The syllables begin differently.
How it feels
  1. Perfect
  2. Family
  3. Additive / Subtractive
  4. Assonance
  5. Consonance
resolvedunresolved
Example

cat / pad — AE vowel; T and D are both stops

Family chart
PlosivesFricativesNasals
VoicedbdgvTHzzhjmnng
Unvoicedptkfthsshch

Each column is a family pair — same place + manner, only the voicing differs.

Source
Berklee College of Music's songwriting method (Pat Pattison)
1 syllable
scythestitheswrithes1fifesknifes31lifes315strifes4
2 syllables
loosestrifes
1
What it is
  1. The syllables' vowel sounds are identical.
  2. The sounds after the vowels are identical, with one extra consonant on one side.
  3. The syllables begin differently.
How it feels
  1. Perfect
  2. Family
  3. Additive / Subtractive
  4. Assonance
  5. Consonance
resolvedunresolved
Example

love / loved — extra D on one side

Source
Berklee College of Music's songwriting method (Pat Pattison)
1 syllable
ninths
677
What it is
  1. The syllables' vowel sounds are identical.
  2. The sounds after the vowels are identical, but one side stops one consonant earlier.
  3. The syllables begin differently.
How it feels
  1. Perfect
  2. Family
  3. Additive / Subtractive
  4. Assonance
  5. Consonance
resolvedunresolved
Example

cried / cry — one side missing the final D

Source
Berklee College of Music's songwriting method (Pat Pattison)
1 syllable
eyes406life315sky266die245cry193i1by165high127why113eye120try104fly113lie101lies76live39wife64my24drive41guy36rise43nice29twice33ice30dry40skies51five27knife31buy16bye11size16dies22flies25pie19guys5price12sighs6cries16wise12shy13hi2aye3tie7prize6sigh20rice5tries7spy1thydive7vice2ties6chi2dice7fry3slice2thighs9fries3pies5thigh6spies2strife4buys1strive5thrive5vie1jive3mice1nigh2rye3sly3bae2dries1thai2weiss1bly1dye1guise1hice1hive1lye1
2 syllables
alive100goodbye82surprise32survive26advice16disguise1arrive5july12deny6reply17good-byesupply3device1bye-byenearby1supplies2apply1sunrise11rely1adviseallyex-wifegoodbyes5precisedespise5arise5suffice2Mumbai1capsize1demise1necktie1Versailles2untie1baptize1beehive1comply1devise1Kauai1magpie1magpies1mcfly1midwife1nightlife1pigsty1rabbi1reprise1standby1unwise1shanghaialewifeallspiceapplies1apprisearchiveawrybeliebeliesbigeyesbonsaibonsais
3 syllables
paradise30realize10sacrifice9recognize5otherwise1exercise1realise1testify3alibi1butterfly7lullaby13compromise6recogniseenterprise2samuraibutterflies5afterlife4criticize5fireflies3lullabies3alibis3memorize3multiply3satisfy2colonize2fantasize2firefly2Gemini1goldeneye1socialize1sympathize2advertise1amplify1analyze1canonize1classify1crucify1edelweiss1fossilize1harmonize1
4 syllables
apologize5identifyapologisedesensitize1acidifiesacidifyactualizealphabetizealuminizeantagonizebeatifiesbeatifycannibalizecapitalizecaramelizecategorizecharacterizecircularize
5 syllables
materialize2americanize
6 syllables
1740
What it is
  1. The syllables' vowel sounds are the same.
  2. The consonants after the vowel are not phonetically related.
  3. The syllables begin differently.
How it feels
  1. Perfect
  2. Family
  3. Additive / Subtractive
  4. Assonance
  5. Consonance
resolvedunresolved
Example

love / dot — both AH, but V and T have nothing in common

Assonance rhymes always have consonants after the vowels, but the consonants cannot be phonetically related.

Source
Berklee College of Music's songwriting method (Pat Pattison)
1 syllable
time1night550mind405right296light284mine275side201line1like73fine115find116smile100times86ride96fight91while80wine86child64kind77died74lights62white61sight73shine73hide63tight61blind62pride53lines39bright47wild35tried34style36sign37crime30wide39flight31might24cried37nights26write17bride23lied22miles13minds23signs18nine14bite17climb21christ9sides16type9dime28quite4tide22mike3tied9strike6crimes12liked1signed5guide10rhyme29likes2rights5slide14file2prime4mile8pipe8bike2finds1site1files2tribe4height8fights6kinds1kylepile2
2 syllables
tonight184behind130inside131alright97outside53sometimes33decide19surprised17midnight16sunshine23lifetime11moonlight31arrived8goodnight15design13sometime9aside7divine13besides1survived8remind1online4invite1beside6provide1meantime3daylight12describe3denied10despiteawhile12designed13reminds1profile2unlikepolite3mankind3meanwhile1alike1divide11delight14unkind14sublime13described1assigned1upsidecollide8springtime2website1twilight4sunlight8skyline6decides19appliedgrapevine5resign3abide6define5headlights6inclined6
3 syllables
satisfied16suicide11realized4anytime5caroline7terrified4satellite4valentine4homicide1overnight4appetite8recognized2realised2organizedsummertime11overtime5qualified1occupied1riverside4dynamite2sacrificed1crucified4mountainside2classifiedborderline3clementine3countryside2columbine3Frankenstein3genocide2hypnotized3intertwined3motorbike3Palestine2petrified3wintertime2compromised1advertised2candlelight2colorblind1
4 syllables
identified1evangeline3dissatisfied2econoline1meteorite2apologized1commercialized1exemplified1formaldehyde1hermaphrodites1immobilized1infanticide1legitimized1solidified1unsatisfied1unsupervised1acidifiedactualizedalphabetized
5 syllables
industrialized1
6 syllables
161
What it is
  1. The syllables' vowel sounds are different.
  2. The sounds after the vowels are identical.
  3. The syllables begin differently.
How it feels
  1. Perfect
  2. Family
  3. Additive / Subtractive
  4. Assonance
  5. Consonance
resolvedunresolved
Example

love / live — both end in V; AH versus IH

Source
Berklee College of Music's songwriting method (Pat Pattison)
1 syllable
clothes64lives20leaves35waves22loves4gives2moves5thieves4slaves6gloves1nerves1graves11wolves1proves10mouths1serves1doves5sleeves6caves4droves2shelves3breathes1eaves2youths2paths1calves1curves1dwarves1eves1grieves1naves1oaths1shaves1bathes2braves24carvescleaves1clovescoves1craves4daves3delveselves
2 syllables
themselves6believes5yourselves2deserves1airwaves2forgives2evolves1foxgloves1involves1receives1retrieves1werewolves1aboves71absolvesachieves2aggrievesalcovesapproves2behaves5behoovesbereavesbivalvesconceives1conclavesconservesdeceives2depravesdevolvesdisprovesdissolves3enclavesengravesenslaves
3 syllables
ourselves13aftershaves1architravesautoclaves1countermovesdisapproves1disbelievesinterleavesinterweaves1microwaves1misbehaves1misconceivesmisperceivespreconceivesyugoslavs
4 syllables
sociopaths1recitatives
5 syllables
determinatives
1
What it is
  1. The syllables' vowel sounds are identical.
  2. The sounds after the vowels (if any) are identical.
  3. The syllables begin the same — repetition, not a rhyme.
How it feels

Off the rhyme scale — identity is repetition, not resolution. Shown so you can spot it, not reach for it.

Example

fuse / confuse — both stressed syllables are 'fuse'

Source
Berklee College of Music's songwriting method (Pat Pattison)
2 syllables
connives

“knives” at line end — from real songs

Tryin’ to win a gunfight with a bunch of knivesI win, get off the bench and give a bunch of fives
— Burt Bacharach, “Make Love” · rhymes knives / fives
These words are like sharp knivesRuining our lives every time
— Damien Jurado, “The Dogs” · rhymes knives / time
Of our own device"They stab it with their steely knives
— Don Henley, “Hotel California” · rhymes knives / device

How to read the 2611 results

Tiers follow Pat Pattison's stability scale — pick the resolution your line needs, not just the closest sound. Bold words are common in lyrics; a struck-through word with a cliché flag is an overworked pair; a vermilion dot counts how often the pair appears at line end in our corpus of real songs.

Perfect rhyme 24
Same stressed vowel, same sounds after it, different beginning. Full resolution — the strongest closure a rhyme can give a line.
Family rhyme 8
The consonants after the vowel are swapped for phonetic siblings — T↔D, M↔N, S↔Z. Nearly as stable as perfect rhyme, with far more word choices.
Additive 1
Same vowel, but one word carries an extra consonant after the shared ending. The added sound softens the landing slightly.
Subtractive 677
Same vowel, but one word stops a consonant early. A slightly clipped, softer resolution than perfect rhyme.
Assonance 1740
Only the stressed vowel matches; the consonants after it are unrelated. Loose and open — useful when a section should stay unresolved.
Consonance 161
The vowels differ but the ending consonants match. The faintest echo of all — texture rather than closure.
Identity 1
The whole stressed syllable repeats, beginning included. That's repetition, not rhyme — the line echoes instead of resolving.