Words to Rhyme with: A Rhyming Dictionary (Facts on File Writer's Library)

 (6 customer reviews)

I spent about six months updating Words to Rhyme With for the most recent (2006) edition; this gave me an opportunity to get acquainted with Mr. Espy's brilliant command of rhyme, and his unfailing ability to inject humor into his poems. Anyone who delights in the sounds of English will find this rhyming dictionary a joy to have around. The organizational scheme is slightly more challenging than you will find in some other products, but learning how to use it will reward you with new insights into sound patterns in English. The real bonus of this book are Mr. Espy's poems, which are scattered randomly throughout the book.

This book is engaging--not merely words in a list. And the accompanying poetry is fantastic and witty. Espy loves the language and this shows plainly in this great volume.

This book is definitely heftier and supplemented with additional material you won't find in other rhyming dictionaries. However, it uses an idiosyncratic notation for vowels. Clement Wood's rhyming dictionary, on the other hand, uses the standard notation you find in dictionaries, and then reminds you of their meaning and order at the bottom of each page, to help you quickly find the right spot for a particular sound.

This may sound like nitpicking, but I definitely switched over to Wood's dictionary since, from my experience, the fewer hurdles to getting to the rhyme, the more enjoyable and effective rhyming becomes. It's never bad to have two dictionaries around, however...