A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other.

An example of the ${\displaystyle \mathrm {ABAB} }$ rhyming scheme, from "To Anthea, who may Command him Anything", by Robert Herrick:

These rhyme patterns have various effects, and can be used to:

A basic distinction is between rhyme schemes that apply to a single stanza, and those that continue their pattern throughout an entire poem (see chain rhyme). There are also more elaborate related forms, like the sestina – which requires repetition of exact words in a complex pattern. Rhyming is not a mandatory feature of poetry; a four-line stanza with non-rhyming lines could be described as using the scheme ${\displaystyle \mathrm {ABCD} }$.

Notation used below:

Other notation examples:

Notable rhyme schemes and forms that use specific rhyme schemes:

Hip-hop music and rapping's rhyme schemes include traditional schemes such as couplets, as well as forms specific to the genre, which are broken down extensively in the books How to Rap and Book of Rhymes. Rhyme schemes used in hip-hop music include