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Words that rhyme with surprises — 1785 rhymes by quality | Rhyme Land
RhymeLand

the rhymes and the songs that used them

Words that rhyme withsurprises

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 AY coda Z
241
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
rises2guises1sizes1bisesdieses22wises
3 syllables
disguises1despises1advisesarisesbaptizescapsizeschastisesdemises
4 syllables
advertisesaggrandizesagonizes
5 syllables
actualizesalphabetizesaluminizes
6 syllables
7 syllables
22
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
prices1ices1dices7rices5slices2spices1splicestricesvices2
3 syllables
obliges1salivas2devices1advices16allspicesenticessuffices2
4 syllables
conjunctivassacrifices2overpricesparadises
6
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
Dias
3 syllables
messiahs1papayaspariahsrupiahs
4 syllables
jambalayas
349
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
chinas4hydrasiraslimasmicasmynaspicasrigassimasrising16Isaacrisin1wiser1riser2geyser1isaacs1keyser1risers1visor1geysered1geysers1Kaisermisermisers
3 syllables
vaginas1anginasmedinashorizon12horizons2advising1arising1despising1miserly1adviseradvisersadvisoradvisorsbaptizingcapsizingchastisingdemisingdevising
4 syllables
Carolinas1advertising1supervisorenergizer2advisory1analyzing1appetizing1hypnotizing1synthesizer1
5 syllables
appendicitiseconomizing1actualizing
6 syllables
7 syllables
1168
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)
2 syllables
faces36places30pieces11changes16horses2voices3roses11glasses7chances6houses1wishes5ages7ashes7boxes6kisses9cases1closes1pages7charges2forces1passes4dishes5senses5matches1choices2classes1uses131causes3judges1taxes5asses6dresses2inches2traces3noises4losessources1branches4nurses1races3beaches6watches2reaches2cages4fishes2laces5riches3misses1wages3stages4witchesbushes4dances2edges1graces4pleases3rushes2verses1touchesbuzzes1bridges3bruises1buses1fences3hinges2masses2praises1snitches2spaces3trenches1badges2brushes2courses1crashes2crosses1ditches2exes1hatches1lenses2patches1pauses1peaches1phrases1poses2princes2rages2
3 syllables
ideas6excuses1expenses1diseases5molasses2sunglasses3eyelashes1refusescommences2discloses1garages2offenses1suitcases2advances1baristas1debases1defenses1eclipses1embraces1furnaces1increases1pretenses1responses1reverses1shoelaces1syntaxes1syringes1tortillas1abashesabasiasabridgesabusesacaciasacanthasaccessesaccusesaddresses9adjudgesAgassizaggressesairspacesalehousesalfalfasaliyahsallegesaltheasamassesamazesambrosiasamnesias3amusesannexesannouncesapexes1aphasiasappeasesapplausesappraisesapproachesaristasarousesarranges1assessesassuagesatlases1attachesavenges
4 syllables
circumstances2consequences2avalanches1overdoses1overpasses1sandinistas1universes1valkyries1acquiescesaerospacesalbatrosses1altarpiecesanaesthesiasanaplasiasanesthesias1angelfishesantifreezesapoptosisapplesauces1arbitragesbalderdashesboardinghousesbutterscotchescamouflages1cellulosescenterpieces1centrifugescharterhousescoalescescoffeehousescommonplacesconciergesconvalescescounterchargescounterpunchescrucifixes2cuttlefishescybersexescyberspaces1databasesdecomposesdiarrheas
5 syllables
allegiances1apocalypsesbasophiliasbiosciences
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)
1 syllable
prize6pries
2 syllables
prizes3prizingsurprise32reprise1apprisecomprise
3 syllables
surprising1apprisesapprisingcomprisescomprisingreprisalreprisalsreprises
4 syllables
enterprisesenterprisingsurprisinglyunsurprising

“surprises” at line end — from real songs

Downsized economizingWhite lies for surprises
— Black Box Recorder, “Land of Our Fathers” · rhymes surprises / economizing
As quiet as it is tonightYour eyes are full of surprises
— Joe Henry, “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You” · rhymes surprises / tonight
I'll take a quiet lifeAnd no alarms and no surprises
— Radiohead, “No Surprises” · rhymes surprises / life

How to read the 1785 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 241
Same stressed vowel, same sounds after it, different beginning. Full resolution — the strongest closure a rhyme can give a line.
Family rhyme 22
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.
Subtractive 6
Same vowel, but one word stops a consonant early. A slightly clipped, softer resolution than perfect rhyme.
Assonance 349
Only the stressed vowel matches; the consonants after it are unrelated. Loose and open — useful when a section should stay unresolved.
Consonance 1167
The vowels differ but the ending consonants match. The faintest echo of all — texture rather than closure.
Identity 24
The whole stressed syllable repeats, beginning included. That's repetition, not rhyme — the line echoes instead of resolving.