Standards of rhyming in modern songs are pretty poor in my opinion (sorry, but game does not rhyme with pain, even if you’re feeling the latter).  The best writers have been known to need the assistance of tools such as rhyming dictionaries from time to time.

Probably everyone trying to think of that elusive rhyme has mentally run through the alphabet followed by the syllables with which assonance is sought.  Well here’s my Rhyming Grid, a simple tool to help with this job.

Imagine you want a rhyme for “double”.  Just work your way through the Rhyming Grid, preceding “ouble” with each letter or group of letters in turn.  Listen out for the sound of a word or part of a word that might meet your needs – so you’ll get “bubble”, “blouble”, “brouble”, “couble”, “chouble” etc – mostly nonsense, but occasionally you’ll hit useable words – “Hubble”, “rubble”, “stubble”, “trouble” and so on.

Notice the pattern of letters across the grid.  In particular the disproportionately large number beginning with “s”.  I find it often pays to start with the “s” row.

Incidentally, beware of muttering your way through a Rhyming Grid exercise while on a bus or a train – people will edge away from you with anxious looks on their faces (I speak from experience).

Call, if you will, bad rhyming a disease,

It gives men happiness, or leaves them ease

(Alexander Pope)

Not this man it doesn't – for heaven’s sake, use the Grid.