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Words that rhyme with lay — 2859 rhymes by quality | Rhyme Land
RhymeLand

the rhymes and the songs that used them

Words that rhyme withlay

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 EY coda —
248
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
day2way3say1stay1play101hey37pay1pray1may30bay28they6gray20gay12ray8grey14clay13jay2yay1prey7spray5sway12tae1tray9kay1hay1stray8weigh1yea1fray5jaefey3slay2sleigh2bey1cray1faye1flay1Frey1gaye1nay1Tay1vey1braebraycaydraydreyfaymaemeineighNeyPAYEPeishayspaytreyWeiwhey
2 syllables
away6today125okay46highway30sunday14someday26birthday12friday6monday7tuesday2thursday3wednesday2obey4halfway2hallway5betray2doorway10cafe3astray11decay11freeway4subway1runway1repay1andreBroadway3driveway4ashtray1hooray5jose2stairway1doomsday4railwaybouquet3convey3dismay3parfait1x-rayave2hearsay2midway1survey1array1breezeway1byway1Cathay1causeway1ebay1madre1mcrae1niday1Norway1passe1risque1skyway1Taipei1weekday1airwayarchwaybeltwayBombayclicheCordaycrochetcroquetdefraydolcedossierentreeessayfairwayflywaygainsaygatewaygourmetgreenwayheadwayheyday
3 syllables
anyway60yesterday34everyday9holiday8saturday2alleyway2cabaret1runaway1straightaway2getaway2Hemingway2ricochet2rockaway1disobey1expressway1matinee1Monterey1pinochet1stowaway1takeaway1tanqueray1underway1vertebrae1animeattachebreakawayCabernetcanapecarawaycastawaycurareday-by-dayday-to-daydisarraydomineeemigreentrywayFaradayfarawayfianceGallowaygiveawayHathawayhideawaylingerieLyonnaismacrameMonterreyoverpayoverstayParaguaypassagewayPiagetprotegesobriquetthrowawayunderpay
4 syllables
communique1companionwaynaiveteOlivierpapier-machesuperhighway
2576
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
face250name243rain170place169pain159same150days124change116game106made1train60late65babe44wait54shame76blame66brain52take47ways51space48break45came41grave1case35make32strange30fate37age33great29state28flame42hate27straight23jail25lake26grace26safe22race29stage25page25chain25faith21names24paid26wave24waste26taste23plane22gate22cake19brave24waves22takes13shake20weight16fame31save13lane21sake14trade20chase18played15fail18saved12vain26games11blade1gave10cage21flames24plain15tape9plays12stayed13plate14wake5mail12makes1shade35claim15
2 syllables
insane50afraid40escape27awake31mistake27explain27mistakes27always8remain17remains11ashamed13parade19became3create5complain14champagne6embrace15cocaine14exchange5female1details2behave5estate3campaign2engaged2detail1escapedbetrayed2suitcase5exhales2replace2arrange1someplace1refrain13headache3maintain3explained2complaint1debate3e-mailairplane3disgrace4replaced2roommate1explains27erase6teenagelocate1contain3remained2blackmailcocktailhighways2relate7sideways4decades1emailcontains3inhales3engage1
3 syllables
celebrate6separate2concentrate6holidays4anyways4nowadays2operate1hesitate6hurricane10lemonade5marketplace4indicatetoleratecellophane3interstate4palisades3databasedissipate1paperweight2promenade2windowpane1entertain1alleyways1anyplace1calculate1chevrolets2contemplate2demonstrate2elevate2entertained2escalate1featherweight2hurricanes1illustrate1masturbate1penetrate2rattlesnake2renegade1sugarcane1unexplained2
4 syllables
appreciate1investigate1communicate1cooperatenegotiateeliminatecongratulateparticipate1evaporate1intimidate2videotape2annihilate1appreciates1commiserate1redecorate1reincarnate1retaliate1sophisticate1abbreviate
5 syllables
deteriorate1
36
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
changed31tastes2saints2paints1agedsbastes1chasedseighthsfaints3
2 syllables
arrangedcomplaints2deranged2estranged2unchanged1acquaintsconstraints
3 syllables
rearranged2aftertastesfingerpaintsinterchanged
53
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)
1 syllable
leiley
2 syllables
delay6display5ballet4foreplay2relay2chalet1horseplay1olay1replay1souffle1allayCalaisdownplayfilet
3 syllables
chevrolet2Beaujolais1interplayMandalayoverlayoverplayunderplayallayingdelaying6filetting
4 syllables
cabrioletformulaichimalayanoverlaying

“lay” at line end — from real songs

Down by the Green River where Paradise layMister Peabody's coal train has hauled it away
— John Prine, “Paradise” · rhymes lay / away
Let it fall by the wayLeave me where I lay;
— Joe Henry, “Stop” · rhymes lay / way
As long as you got somewhere to layEvery day is judgement day
— Bob Dylan, “End of the Line” · rhymes lay / day

How to read the 2859 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 248
Same stressed vowel, same sounds after it, different beginning. Full resolution — the strongest closure a rhyme can give a line.
Additive 2575
Same vowel, but one word carries an extra consonant after the shared ending. The added sound softens the landing slightly.
Assonance 36
Only the stressed vowel matches; the consonants after it are unrelated. Loose and open — useful when a section should stay unresolved.
Identity 53
The whole stressed syllable repeats, beginning included. That's repetition, not rhyme — the line echoes instead of resolving.