You’re staring at a blank page. Maybe it’s a song about heartbreak or a poem about the deep, dark expanse of space. You need a word that snaps into place with void, but everything feels a little... off.
Rhyming is weird.
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It’s not just about matching sounds; it’s about the "mouth-feel" of the word and the baggage it carries. When you’re looking for what rhymes with void, you’re dealing with the "oyd" sound—a diphthong that feels heavy, resonant, and honestly, a bit dramatic. Most people default to "avoid" or "destroyed," but those are the low-hanging fruit. If you want your writing to actually land, you’ve got to dig deeper into the phonetics and the emotional weight of these words.
The Heavy Hitters: Common Rhymes for Void
Let's start with the basics. You’ve got the heavy hitters that everyone knows. Avoid is the most obvious one. It’s functional. It gets the job done. If you’re writing a PSA about safety, it’s perfect. But if you’re writing something artistic, it can feel a little lazy.
Then there’s destroyed. This is the big brother of rhymes for void. It carries a lot of weight. It’s final. It’s visceral. When you rhyme void with destroyed, you’re leaning into a very specific, nihilistic vibe. It works, but it’s a bit of a cliché in teenage angst poetry and metal lyrics.
Employed is another one. It’s a strange word to pair with void. One is about a vacuum, a lack of something, and the other is about utility or work. That contrast is actually where the magic happens. Think about the concept of someone being "employed by the void." It’s eerie. It’s a little Lovecraftian.
Don't forget enjoyed. This is the outlier. Most "oyd" words are heavy or negative, but enjoyed is light. It’s a positive spin. If you’re trying to subvert expectations, rhyming void with enjoyed is a solid move. It creates a sense of irony that can be really effective in a song lyric.
The Technical Side: Why the OYD Sound Matters
Phonetically, what rhymes with void is built on the /ɔɪd/ sound. This is a combination of a rounded back vowel and a high front vowel, followed by a voiced dental plosive.
Basically? Your tongue has to do a lot of work.
Unlike a soft rhyme like "air" and "care," "void" demands attention. It’s a hard stop. The "d" at the end of these words acts like a period at the end of a sentence. This is why poets like Sylvia Plath or T.S. Eliot often used these types of hard-ending rhymes to create a sense of finality or unease.
If you look at the linguistics of it, the diphthong /ɔɪ/ is relatively rare in English compared to things like /iː/ (the "ee" sound). This rarity makes rhymes for void stand out more. They feel intentional. They don't just happen by accident.
Slant Rhymes and Near-Misses
Sometimes, a perfect rhyme is too much. It feels too "nursery rhyme." That’s where slant rhymes (or half-rhymes) come in. These are words that almost rhyme but have a slight variation in their vowel or consonant sounds.
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Consider words like:
- Boyed (as in buoyed up)
- Alloyed
- Adjoined (this is a stretch, but in a pinch, it works)
- Exploited (if you're playing with the rhythm)
Buoyed is particularly interesting. It’s the literal opposite of a void. A void is a hole; being buoyed is being lifted. Using these together in a stanza creates a beautiful linguistic tension. It’s like a tug-of-war between sinking and floating.
The Cultural Impact of the Void Sound
In music, specifically in genres like Grunge or Shoegaze, the rhyme scheme involving void is a staple. Think about the 90s. The lyrical themes of emptiness, space, and destruction were everywhere.
The word void itself has shifted in meaning over the centuries. It started as a legal term—something that was "null and void." It was dry. It was boring. But as existentialism took hold in the 20th century, void became a philosophical powerhouse. It became the "Great Void."
When you rhyme with it now, you’re tapping into that history. You’re not just matching sounds; you’re referencing Sartre, Camus, and every sci-fi movie that ever featured a black hole.
Why Some Rhymes Fail
You have to be careful. Some rhymes for void are just... bad. Asteroid is a perfect rhyme, but it’s so specific that it often feels clunky. Unless you are literally writing about space, throwing asteroid into a poem about your ex-girlfriend is going to feel weird.
Celluloid is another one. It’s an archaic term for film. It’s got a cool, vintage feel, but it’s hard to use naturally. If you’re trying to be "meta" and talking about the film of life, sure. Otherwise, stay away.
Then there’s hemorrhoid.
Yeah. Don’t use that one. Unless you’re writing a very specific kind of comedy song, rhyming void with hemorrhoid is a surefire way to lose your audience. It breaks the "spell" of the writing.
Practical Applications for Songwriters and Poets
If you’re struggling to find the right word, stop looking for a perfect match. Think about the emotion of the void.
Is the void scary? Use destroyed.
Is the void a choice? Use avoid.
Is the void a job? Use employed.
Is the void a physical thing? Use unalloyed.
Unalloyed is a fantastic, underused rhyme. It means pure, or not mixed with other elements. "Unalloyed joy" is a common phrase. Rhyming that with void creates a stark contrast between pure existence and absolute nothingness.
Breaking the Rules with Multisyllabic Rhymes
If you want to sound more modern—more like a rapper or a contemporary slam poet—you should look at multisyllabic rhymes. These are rhymes where multiple syllables match, not just the last one.
Think about:
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- Paranoid
- Overjoyed
- Underemployed
- Schizoid (use with caution, obviously)
Paranoid is a classic. It’s a three-syllable word that ends in that "oyd" sound. It adds a rhythmic complexity to your writing that a simple one-syllable word can't match. "The void makes me paranoid" is a cliché, but "A paranoid glance into the void" has a different energy. It flows better.
A List of Words You Might Have Overlooked
Sometimes you just need a list to jog your memory. Here are some real, factual rhymes for void that aren't the usual suspects:
- Alloyed: Mixed, usually referring to metals.
- Bell-boyed: (Niche, but hey, it's a word).
- Cloyed: To sicken someone with an excess of sweetness or sentiment.
- Decoyed: Lured into a trap.
- Tabloid: A small-format newspaper (usually sensationalist).
Cloyed is a hidden gem. It has a sticky, unpleasant connotation. Rhyming void with cloyed creates a sense of being overwhelmed by something "empty." It’s a sensory contradiction that can make a reader stop and think.
The "Void" Misconception
A lot of people think that because void is a short word, it needs a short rhyme. That’s a mistake. Some of the best rhymes for void are long, clunky words.
The contrast between the sharp, one-syllable void and a four-syllable word like underemployed creates a rhythmic "swing." It’s called a dactylic rhythm in some contexts, and it’s very satisfying to the human ear.
Also, don't confuse void with words that look like they should rhyme but don't. For example, food or good. They have the "oo" sound, but the "oy" in void is a completely different beast. This is a common mistake for non-native English speakers or people just starting out with phonetics.
How to Use These Rhymes Without Sounding Like a Robot
The key to using what rhymes with void effectively is placement.
If you put the rhyme at the end of every line (AABB structure), it’s going to sound like a Hallmark card. Try an ABAB or ABCB structure. This lets the "oyd" sound breathe. It gives the listener time to process the first word before the second one hits.
Also, try internal rhyming. Put void in the middle of a sentence and avoid at the end of the next one. It’s subtler. It creates a "echo" effect rather than a "hammer" effect.
"He stepped into the void, a space he could no longer avoid."
That’s okay. But try:
"The void was hungry, a thing he’d spent years trying to avoid while being employed by his own fear."
See the difference? It’s more fluid. It feels more human.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Project
If you’re currently stuck on a piece of writing involving the word void, here is exactly how to break through the wall:
- Identify the Tone: Are you being dark or ironic? Dark? Use destroyed or decoyed. Ironic? Use enjoyed or tabloid.
- Count the Syllables: If your line is short, use a long rhyme like paranoid. If your line is long, use a short rhyme like boyed.
- Check the Mouth-Feel: Say the words out loud. Does your jaw feel tight? That’s the "oyd" sound. Use it to your advantage to convey tension.
- Use a Slant Rhyme: If nothing fits, go for a word like adjoined or point. It breaks the monotony and sounds more sophisticated.
- Look at the Opposite: Sometimes the best way to rhyme with void is to look for words that mean the opposite but sound similar. Buoyed is your best friend here.
Rhyming isn't just about finding matching sounds in a dictionary. It’s about building a bridge between two ideas. When you choose a word to rhyme with void, you are telling the reader how they should feel about that emptiness. Choose wisely.
Next time you’re writing, don’t just settle for the first word that pops into your head. Think about the history, the phonetics, and the hidden gems like cloyed or unalloyed. Your writing will be better for it, honestly.