You’re probably sitting there thinking about high school English. Maybe a dusty textbook or a teacher droning on about iambic pentameter. Honestly, the rhyme scheme for a sonnet is one of those things that sounds incredibly rigid until you realize it’s actually a secret code for how human beings process emotion. It's basically the original 14-line "tweet," but with way more rules and much better longevity.
A sonnet isn't just a poem. It’s a logic puzzle. It’s a 14-line box where poets try to trap a feeling before it gets away. But if you get the rhyme scheme wrong, the whole thing falls apart like a cheap IKEA shelf. There are two "big" versions you need to know, and then a few weird cousins that most people totally forget about.
The Shakespearean Shakeup
Most people asking about the rhyme scheme for a sonnet are looking for the English (or Shakespearean) version. William Shakespeare didn't invent it—shoutout to the Earl of Surrey for that—but he mastered it so well we just gave him the naming rights.
The structure is simple but strict. It’s built out of three "quatrains" (four-line blocks) and one "couplet" (two lines at the end). The rhymes go like this: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
Think about what that does to your brain when you read it. The first four lines set a scene. The next four expand on it. The third four usually throw a curveball. Then, those final two lines—the GG—hit you like a punchline or a sudden realization. It’s the "mic drop" of the 16th century. If you’re writing one, you’ve gotta make sure that final couplet feels earned. You can't just rhyme "heart" and "part" and call it a day; it needs to flip the script on everything you just wrote in the first 12 lines.
Why Petrarch Did It Differently
Before Shakespeare was even a thought, an Italian guy named Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) was doing his own thing. The Petrarchan rhyme scheme for a sonnet is arguably harder to pull off in English because our language is rhyme-poor compared to Italian.
In the Italian version, you split the poem into an "octave" (eight lines) and a "sestet" (six lines). The octave almost always stays the same: ABBAABBA.
That’s a lot of "A" and "B" rhymes. Try finding four words that rhyme with "strength" or "orange." It’s a nightmare. The sestet is where Petrarchan poets get to have a little bit of a party. They might use CDECDE or CDCDCD. The key here is the "volta," or the turn. In a Shakespearean sonnet, the turn usually happens at line 13. In a Petrarchan sonnet, it happens at line 9. It’s a different rhythm of thought. You present a problem for eight lines, then spend six lines trying to solve it or looking at it from a new angle.
The Spenserian Loophole
Then there’s Edmund Spenser. He wanted to be different. He developed a "linking" rhyme scheme for a sonnet that is honestly kind of a flex. It looks like this: ABAB BCBC CDCD EE.
See how the "B" from the first section carries into the second? And the "C" carries into the third? It’s like a chain. It makes the poem feel much more fluid and less like a series of separate boxes. It’s harder to write because you’re constantly looking backward to find your next rhyme, but when it works, it feels like a single, unbroken thought.
Common Mistakes and Why They Happen
People get confused because "sonnet" has become a catch-all term for any short, serious poem. But if it doesn’t have 14 lines and a specific rhyme scheme, it’s technically just a "fourteen-line poem."
- The "Near Rhyme" Trap: Modern poets love using slant rhymes (like "bridge" and "grudge"). Purists will tell you this ruins the sonnet. If you’re trying to pass an exam or win a traditional contest, stick to "perfect" rhymes.
- The Meter Problem: The rhyme scheme for a sonnet is only half the battle. If you don't have that da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM beat (iambic pentameter), the rhymes will feel clunky.
- The Final Couplet Weakness: In the English version, if your GG lines don't summarize or subvert the rest of the poem, it feels like an unfinished thought.
How to Actually Write One Without Losing Your Mind
If you’re staring at a blank page trying to figure out the rhyme scheme for a sonnet, stop trying to be deep. Seriously. Start with the rhymes.
Pick a couple of easy rhyme sounds—ones with plenty of options like "ee" (tree, see, be) or "ay" (day, stay, play). Map out your 14 lines by putting the rhyme words at the ends first. It sounds like cheating, but it’s actually how a lot of the greats did it. They knew where they were going before they started walking.
- Choose your weapon: Are you going Shakespearean (the punchy ending) or Petrarchan (the two-part argument)?
- The Volta is everything: Decide where your "flip" is going to happen. Is it at line 9 or line 13?
- Check your syllables: Each line should be roughly 10 syllables. If one is 14 and the next is 6, your rhyme scheme is going to sound like a car with a flat tire.
The beauty of the sonnet is that the constraints actually make you more creative. When you’re forced to find a word that rhymes with "light" but also fits your metaphor about a dying star, you end up finding words you never would have thought of otherwise.
Moving Beyond the Basics
Once you've mastered the standard ABAB CDCD EFEF GG, you can look at "Curatal" sonnets (which are shorter) or "Sonnet Redoublé" (which is a terrifying cycle of 15 sonnets where the last line of one is the first line of the next). But for 99% of people, the English and Italian structures are the bread and butter.
Whether you're reading Keats, Donne, or even modern poets like Marilyn Nelson, you’ll start seeing these patterns everywhere. It’s like learning to see the code in the Matrix. Suddenly, a poem isn't just a wall of text; it's a carefully constructed machine designed to deliver a specific emotional payload at exactly the right moment.
Your Next Steps
To truly grasp the rhyme scheme for a sonnet, you should move from theory to practice.
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- Audit a Classic: Take Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 ("Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?") and literally write the letters A, B, C, D next to the lines. Seeing it on the page helps it stick.
- The "Scaffolding" Method: Write a 14-line paragraph about something mundane—like making coffee. Then, try to rearrange those sentences to fit the ABAB CDCD EFEF GG pattern.
- Read Out Loud: You can usually hear a broken rhyme scheme before you see it. If the "click" at the end of the line feels off, it probably is.
Mastering this isn't about being a "fancy" writer. It's about understanding the architecture of English poetry. Once you know the rules, you can decide exactly when and how to break them.