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Words that rhyme with should — 2023 rhymes by quality | Rhyme Land
RhymeLand

the rhymes and the songs that used them

Words that rhyme withshould

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 UH coda D
63
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
good14could5would21wood1stood11hood1
2 syllables
childhood1deadwood1driftwood1manhood1redwood1silkwood1allgoodbeechwoodblackwoodboxwoodboyhoodcorkwooddogwoodelmwoodfalsehoodgirlhoodgreasewoodgreenwoodhardwoodHaywood
3 syllables
understood2neighborhood11hollywood2neighbourhood1adulthood1firewood1parenthood1womanhood1babyhoodbrotherhoodcottonwooddevilwoodfatherhoodhazelwoodironwood
4 syllables
misunderstood9
62
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
foot2put2soot1look23book21took3hook5cook3Brookebrook2shook3crook2nook1Cooke1mook1gookHookerookschnooksnook
2 syllables
barefoot1output1afootBigfootBlackfootcaputcoltsfootforefootgoosefootinputthroughputfacebooknotebook4checkbook1schoolbook1scrapbook1sketchbook1bankbookchinookcookbookguidebookhandbook
3 syllables
underfoot1pussyfootstorybook1inglenookovercookoverlookpocketbook
4 syllables
gobbledygook
149
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
woods11books7looks4looked3pulled2pushed2puts2goods1cooked1booked1hooked1cured1crooks3hooks1brookes1brooks1hoods1schultz1brooked2bulled5bushed1
2 syllables
assured5endured2backwoods1insured1redwoods1allgoodsalluredambushedbankbooksbeechwoodsblackwoodsboxwoodsboyhoodscaputscheckbooks1childhoods1
3 syllables
reassured1adulthoods1babyhoodsbrotherhoodscottonwoodsdevilwoodsfatherhoodsfirewoods1hazelwoodsinglenooks
4 syllables
gobbledygooks
1
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
milieu
113
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
sure10yours3full1pure8pull4push1tour3cure5wolf1bull5bush1wolves1Jungpulls4wool1cures3moor3moors3Moorepuss2bulls1cour1jure1lures1pures1lureboorboorsbutchfulls1hoofs1mooresMuirpulsputschRuhrspoorspoorssures10Tours3tushWolfeWolffwolfs1Woolfwools1
2 syllables
secure1assure1mature1ensureendure1handfulallure1couture2brochure1contour1detour1endures1impure1lumpur1obscure1procure1werewolves1ambushallures1assures1bagfulbagfulsbonjourbrochures1contours1coutures2demuredetours1ensureshandfulsinsureinsuresinureinuresmanuremanuresmatures3milieusmouthful
3 syllables
Beowulf1immature1overtures1platypus1pocketful1epicureepicuresoctopuspocketfuls1prematurereassurereassuresreinsurereinsures
4 syllables
miniature1
1635
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
world127head219side201said146bed169dead149road127cold121need93god69bad76hard81ride96made86old79gold76child64had62died74word46blood51lord28hide63kid50told49loud49red49heard41pride53hold40crowd41sad40mad39wild35tried34read21bird26proud25wide39cried37food24scared17paid26dad17yard23lead16field13bride23lied22dude11speed20bread19weird13glad15killed10trade20load19played15called10bored18mood11blade22sold13board10guard10stayed13code11shade35card8sword11cloud17feed11tide22grade8showed6fade27laid9mud13build6tied9
2 syllables
inside131outside53afraid40instead39ahead21decide19record3allowed9parade19agreed5afford7aside7prepared5indeed3destroyed2avoid2explode12reward3beside6provide1aboard2absurd8betrayed2denied10comrade1appeared3proceed1towardsucceed1occurred4compared1enjoyed5award2revealed4abroad2transferreddivide11borrowed1includeforbid1controlledupsidebehold5so-calledcollide8unfurled7ignored6password1backyard2Bernardgraveyard4household1appliedregard1arcade6declaredunfold5abide6bluebird4reside6
3 syllables
satisfied16suicide11disappeared9attitude5episode3terrified4homicide1paranoid2boulevard9guaranteed4gratitude1underworld4overhead6qualified1occupied1lemonade5riverside4battlefield4crucified4centerfold4mountainside2overboard3solitude2classifiedbodyguard2mockingbird3countryside2genocide2hummingbird1overload2petrified3promenade2riverbed3unprepared3asteroid2disregard2interlude2justified2magnified2misconstrued2
4 syllables
identified1dissatisfied2exemplified1formaldehyde1infanticide1solidified1unparalleled1unsatisfied1acidifiedautomobiledbeatifiedbrachiopodcephalopoddaminozidedecertifieddeclassifieddemystifieddetoxifieddisqualified
5 syllables
corticosteroid
6 syllables

“should” at line end — from real songs

I'm always doing what I think I shouldAlmost always doing everybody good
— Fiona Apple, “A Mistake” · rhymes should / good
I don't do the things I shouldI don't work as hard as I could
— Bahamas, “Everything to Everyone” · rhymes should / could
Talking 'bout you go leave, probably shouldYou been in Hollywood so long, your ass starting to act Hollywood
— Joni Mitchell, “Gone” · rhymes should / hollywood

How to read the 2023 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 63
Same stressed vowel, same sounds after it, different beginning. Full resolution — the strongest closure a rhyme can give a line.
Family rhyme 62
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 149
Same vowel, but one word carries an extra consonant after the shared ending. The added sound softens the landing slightly.
Subtractive 1
Same vowel, but one word stops a consonant early. A slightly clipped, softer resolution than perfect rhyme.
Assonance 113
Only the stressed vowel matches; the consonants after it are unrelated. Loose and open — useful when a section should stay unresolved.
Consonance 1635
The vowels differ but the ending consonants match. The faintest echo of all — texture rather than closure.