What is "eye rhyme"

n. Pairs of words (or syllables) that, because of their spelling, look as if they rhyme but, because of different pronunciation, do not

n. an imperfect rhyme (e.g., `love' and `move')

An eye rhyme, also called a visual rhyme or a sight rhyme, is a rhyme in which two words are spelled similarly but pronounced differently. An example is the pair cough and bough; although they look similar, and should rhyme based on the visual aspect, when they are spoken there is no rhyming quality.

Many older English poems, particularly those written in Middle English or written in the Renaissance, contain rhymes that were originally true or full rhymes, but as read by modern readers, they are now eye rhymes because of shifts in pronunciation, especially the Great Vowel Shift. These are called historic rhymes.