Learn English – What do you call “rhymes” which are spelt but not sounded the same way

poetrypronunciationrhymesterminology

Here is an example from T. S. Eliot:

And even the Abstract Entities
Circumambulate her charm;
But our lot crawls between dry ribs
To keep our metaphysics warm.

I expect most people would say charm and warm do not rhyme, but their placement here suggests they are intended to be considered a rhyme on the basis of spelling.

What is this "rhyming" type called? I see it a lot. In some cases I wonder if it represents a shift in pronunciation. In others, such as this, I suspect not.

Best Answer

They are called eye rhymes. Here is a reference from Brittanica:

Eye rhyme, in poetry, an imperfect rhyme in which two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently (such as move and love, bough and though, come and home, and laughter and daughter). Some of these (such as flood and brood) are referred to as historical rhymes because at one time they probably had the same pronunciation.

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