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Words that rhyme with play — 2882 rhymes by quality | Rhyme Land
RhymeLand

the rhymes and the songs that used them

Words that rhyme withplay

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 —
271
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
day12way14say11stay6hey1pay3pray1may1bay1lay22they6gray1gay12ray8grey1clay13jay2yay1prey7spray5sway1tae1tray2kay1hay6stray8weigh1yea1fray5jaefey3slay2sleigh2bey1cray1faye1flay1Frey1gaye1nay1Tay1vey1braebraycaydraydreyfayleileymaemeineighNeyPAYEPeishayspaytreyWeiwhey
2 syllables
away20today6okay46highway30sunday14someday26birthday12friday6monday7tuesday2thursday3wednesday2delay1obey4halfway2hallway5betray2doorway10cafe3astray1ballet4decay11freeway4subway1runway1repay1andreBroadway3driveway4ashtray5hooray5jose2stairway1doomsday4railwaybouquet3convey3dismay3parfait1x-rayave2hearsay2midway1relay2survey1array1breezeway1byway1Cathay1causeway1chalet1ebay1madre1mcrae1niday1Norway1olay1passe1risque1skyway1souffle1Taipei1weekday1airwayallayarchwaybeltwayBombayCalaisclicheCordaycrochetcroquetdefraydolcedossier
3 syllables
anyway3yesterday3everyday9holiday2saturday2alleyway2cabaret1chevrolet2runaway1straightaway2getaway2Hemingway2ricochet2rockaway1Beaujolais1disobey1expressway1matinee1Monterey1pinochet1stowaway1takeaway1tanqueray1underway1vertebrae1animeattachebreakawayCabernetcanapecarawaycastawaycurareday-by-dayday-to-daydisarraydomineeemigreentrywayFaradayfarawayfianceGallowaygiveawayHathawayhideawaylingerieLyonnaismacrameMandalayMonterreyoverlayoverpayoverstayParaguaypassageway
4 syllables
communique1cabrioletcompanionwaynaiveteOlivierpapier-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
face250name243rain170place169pain159same150days124change116game1made86train60late65babe44wait54shame76blame66brain52take47ways51space48break45came41grave52case35make32strange30fate37age33great29state28flame42hate27straight23jail25lake26grace26safe1race29stage25page25chain1faith21names24paid26wave24waste26taste23plane22gate22cake19brave24waves22takes13shake20weight16fame31save13lane21sake14trade20chase18played15fail18saved12vain26games1blade22gave10cage21flames24plain15tape9plays12stayed13plate14wake5mail12makes4shade35claim15
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
20
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
display1foreplay2horseplay1replay1downplayscreenplayswordplayplaying24player2players2
3 syllables
interplayoverplayunderplayballplayerballplayersdownplayingreplaying1roleplaying
4 syllables
overplayingunderplaying

“play” at line end — from real songs

When I got into my car and drove awayI listened to the stereo play
— Cass McCombs, “Sad Dream” · rhymes play / away
Oh, man is opposed to fair playHe wants it all and he wants it his way
— Mark Knopfler, “License to Kill” · rhymes play / way
And he hangs out there all dayAnd tells me not to play
— Adrianne Lenker, “Free Treasure” · rhymes play / day

How to read the 2882 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 271
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 20
The whole stressed syllable repeats, beginning included. That's repetition, not rhyme — the line echoes instead of resolving.