Rhyming dictionaries are not new. The first record of one such volume is the 1570 Manipulus Vocabulorum by Peter Levens, although as this was inter‐linguistic being in Latin and English it may not count. In 1775 Walker's Rhyming Dictionary was first published and continued in print for over 150 years. It was intended, by its author, to be “a friend in need for poets and rhymsters”. Also known as a “thesaurus of rhymes” it was an indispensable guide for writers and poets and laid the foundation for volumes such as this Bloomsbury Rhyming Dictionary, which with the benefit of modern technology and the advancement of language have considerably more to offer their readership.
Writers, journalists, slogan compilers, poets, lyricists, students and teachers are the suggested audience for the Bloomsbury Rhyming Dictionary. Whether using the dictionary for professional or personal purposes it is an entertaining and useful resource. It is packed with information, compact, easy to use and fun. Anyone unfamiliar with the layout of a rhyming dictionary may at first glance consider it to be a daunting resource. Every entry is organized using a numerical sequence and the alphabetical index is located at the back of the book. As this method of organization is similar to that of a thesaurus it should ideally not prove too difficult to grasp. I would, however, highly recommend reading the introduction prior to use for it does explain in some detail the exact way in which the dictionary has been compiled.
Over 45,000 words, phrases and names are included in the dictionary and they have been rhymed according to pronunciation. Further to this words that form more than one part of speech, for example nouns and verbs that are then pronounced differently, are separated in the index. This is where using the Bloomsbury Rhyming Dictionary becomes complicated. There are many words in the English language that have more than one form of pronunciation as well as more than one part of speech. The various possibilities are listed in the index and as this is easily accessible it is the logic behind the overall organization that requires more application of thought.
Having located a word of interest and followed the reference, a numerical sequence, to the entry the reader may find further numbers. These, shown in bold and increasing in value after each series of words, indicate the number of syllables present in each set of words and are a valuable tool for poets. All the entries use this method of sub‐categorising the words, and once the significance and usefulness of such a technique is understood its relevance is clear. Due, however, to this level of complexity in the dictionary I would suggest that it is more applicable for scholars, poets and writers than the general reader. The dictionary is further complicated by the idea that the user may not want an exact rhyme. To address this requirement the compilers have devised a system by which the main entries are divided into 22 sections, each dependant on the final vowel sound of the word in question. These entries are then divided into their own sections according to the sound after the vowel and the rhyme is matched to this.
The compilers are certain that this method of organization is clear and helpful, which, if users are familiar with rhyming dictionaries, it may well be. Many users of this resource will require a reference book to quickly provide them with the elusive rhyme that will make a difference to the piece of writing that they are undertaking. The level of detail in this resource is clearly excellent, how much readers will appreciate it is uncertain but knowing that it can be relied on as a thorough and succinct resource is perhaps the most reassuring recommendation.
Some of the rhymes included are surprising and will hopefully expand the vocabulary of writers, making their work more accessible and fun to read. The variety of words, some of which users may not have previously considered, may even provide further ideas for rhymes and captions. For example, would a writer have used Thessalonians in a piece of rhyming text or known that it is possible to rhyme it with Rubens or even Woollens? There is certainly a whole new window opened into the world of language and word play by this resource and I would be surprised if it does not challenge writers and expand their vocabulary.
The Bloomsbury Rhyming Dictionary is not alone in its field. There are numerous pages on the internet offering free access to rhyming dictionaries. Although these are easy to navigate they are not necessarily authoritative or accessible to every user. Other print rhyming dictionaries are available too; having searched my public library I found a copy of the 1985 Penguin Rhyming Dictionary. It is not as extensive as this Bloomsbury edition. By virtue of being over 20 years old it does not carry the same number of entries; language has developed over the intervening years, new words entering English. However, it makes a useful comparison. It was compiled by using lists of words and their phonetic transcriptions, all of which were taken from a standard dictionary. The words were sorted phonetically before being divided into rhyming groups. The only condition of entry was every word must have at least one other rhyming word. The author considered that poets using the dictionary would need more than just rhyming words therefore short glosses explaining the meaning of unfamiliar words was included. These can be found in brackets after each entry. The addition of labels indicating whether words are American, Australian, Scottish, Welsh and so on is another – perhaps unnecessary – difference. This resource made a useful comparison, showing how accessible the Bloomsbury Rhyming Dictionary is to a wide audience.
I hope that poets, writers and other users will find the Bloomsbury Rhyming Dictionary an excellent, user friendly, concise, current and fascinating reference book.
