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Words that rhyme with perfection — 304 rhymes by quality | Rhyme Land
RhymeLand

the rhymes and the songs that used them

Words that rhyme withperfection

feminine
Masculine

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 this word

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 EH coda K·SH
39
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)
2 syllables
section3flexion
3 syllables
direction11protection10connection7collection1election1reflection9objectioninspection2complexion2selection2correction1detection1erection1inflection1projection1rejection1advectionconnexionconvectiondeflectiondissectionejectioninjectionmidsection
4 syllables
intersection2resurrection2circumspectiondisconnectioninsurrectioninterjectionintrospectionpredilectionrecollectionreelection
5 syllables
interconnectionoverprotection
14
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)
2 syllables
texan1Stetsonthreadfin
3 syllables
receptionexception2perception1conception3deception1inception
4 syllables
contraceptioninterceptionmisconceptionpreconceptionself-deception
6
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)
2 syllables
dextrinheadsmansexton
3 syllables
redemption1exemptionpreemption
62
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)
2 syllables
heaven36seven13lesson8weapon4kevinsession3reckon2evanthreatenDevonbeckon1leaden1leaven1lessen1resin1BevinBretonchechencressondeadendeafenEssenfreshengretchenhessianPepinreddenvegan
3 syllables
confession1impression1eleven4expression3possession1depression6profession1obsession1succession2aggression1discretion1oppression1progression1recession1accessioncompressionconcessiondigressionprecessionprocessionregressionrepressionsecessionsuppressiontibetantransgression
4 syllables
Armageddon1indiscretion1decompressionintercessionnonaggressionrepossessionself-expression
5 syllables
delicatessen
183
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)
2 syllables
question10mention9engine3KarenHelenellenAaron1chairmannelson2lemon2tension3Erinbrennan1pensionLennon2yellin1bensondenton1destin2brethren1chevron1henchmen1heston1Lemmon1melon1quentin1westin1airmanbelgianbellmanBentonBremenbrendanCharonchessmandelphiandentinDresdenEdwinEkmanelfinensignfelonfreshmangentiangremlin
3 syllables
attention15intention2suggestion1convention1dimension3invention1detention1ascension2ephedrine1excedrin1Magellan1Medellin1rebellion1suspension1abstentionclandestinecongestioncontentiondeclensiondigestiondissensionextensioningestionintestinemuskmelonPotemkinpredestinepretensionpreventionprogestinretentionTrevelyansexualdirections7connections2corrections1
4 syllables
comprehension1intervention2watermelon1apprehensioncircumventioncondescensioncontraventionepinephrinehypertensionhypotensioninattentionindigestionphilodendronrhododendronsexually1resurrections1bisexualbisexualscircumspectionscomplexioning2
5 syllables
angiotensinmisapprehensionnoninterventionbidirectional
6 syllables
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 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)
3 syllables
affection2infectioninfections1infectious1affections13confectionconfectionedconfectionsdefectiondefectionsperfections9
4 syllables
imperfection1imperfections1perfectionist1affectionateconfectionerconfectionersconfectioningdisaffection
5 syllables
affectionately

“perfection” at line end — from real songs

With these mirrors of perfectionOf your affection
— Cass McCombs, “Dreams-Come-True Girl” · rhymes perfection / affection
It'll help you achieve perfectionDestroy your record collection
— Black Box Recorder, “The School Song” · rhymes perfection / collection
The bridge at midnight tremblesBankers' nieces seek perfection
— Bob Dylan, “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” · rhymes perfection / trembles

How to read the 304 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 39
Same stressed vowel, same sounds after it, different beginning. Full resolution — the strongest closure a rhyme can give a line.
Family rhyme 14
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 6
Same vowel, but one word carries an extra consonant after the shared ending. The added sound softens the landing slightly.
Subtractive 62
Same vowel, but one word stops a consonant early. A slightly clipped, softer resolution than perfect rhyme.
Assonance 183
Only the stressed vowel matches; the consonants after it are unrelated. Loose and open — useful when a section should stay unresolved.
Identity 24
The whole stressed syllable repeats, beginning included. That's repetition, not rhyme — the line echoes instead of resolving.