Rap Rhyming Dictionary

For students of language and aspiring MC's, knowing where to find a quality rap rhyming dictionary is vital. The most acclaimed rappers have always been masters of language and could weave rhymes into their music in creative and unexpected ways.

While no amount of research can take the place of natural talent, rhyming dictionaries can provide rappers with a body of knowledge to use to improve and refine their craft. The more practice writers put into writing rhymes, the more natural and complex their rhymes become.

Where to Find an Excellent Rap Rhyming Dictionary

There are times when the right word is sitting there on the tip of your tongue and you just can't think of what it is. For those situations, online and print rhyming resources could come in handy to help you take your writing from the ordinary to the sublime.

Online Resources

Of course the Internet provides a wealth of excellent free resources on just about anything you can imagine. Rap rhyming dictionaries are no exception. The following list will help you locate some excellent and free sites to help get your rhymes to the next level:

• RhymeZone: RhymeZone is a full featured, clean, powerful, and nicely arranged site. Included is an excellent rhyming dictionary that organizes returns by either syllables or letters and also provides the option to include the word used in phrases. In addition, RhymeZone offers a thesaurus, a Shakespeare section, sections on famous quotations famous documents, a Mother Goose section, and more.
• Rhymer: Rhymer provides users with the option to modify how they want the rhyming dictionary to function. This creative rap rhyming dictionary includes six types of rhymes: end rhymes, last syllable rhymes, double rhymes, triple rhymes, beginning rhymes, and first syllable rhymes. The complexities that this tool can add to your rhymes are truly endless; rhymer will certainly help you take your creativity to new heights.
• Rapdict: Rapdict is a Wiki web site, which means users just like you can create accounts and edit and create content on the site. Wiki sites are excellent in that they share information as well as create an online community among people who share common interests. You just might meet someone who you can collaborate with while spending time at Rapdict. The site features an ever expanding collection of rap terminology, rhymes, discussions and much more.

Print Resources

Printed dictionaries book can be a valuable resource for anyone who takes their lyric writing seriously. Here are a few options to consider:

• Hip-Hop Rhyming Dictionary: This book includes over 40,000 words and their rhymes. Also featured in this text is a section with lyric writing tips and a brief history of rap and hip-hop.
• Rhyme Time Rap Skills: Rhyme Time is a system designed by an Englishman named Jason Tyler. Mr. Tyler, an avid fan of hip hop for over 15 years, is a student of English language who wrote his college dissertation on phonetics. The Rhyme Time system contains two texts, The Rap Skills Guide, and The Rhyme Time Dictionary. Check out this site and see if Rhyme Time is right for you.

The Question of Cheating

There has been contentious debate in the hip hop and rap communities about the legitimacy of using a rap rhyming dictionary to create rhymes. Some traditionalists consider the practice cheating and feel that the words need to flow out of you naturally without the aid of dictionaries if they are to have real power and meaning. Others contend that using a rhyming dictionary is no different than using a calculator to do math or a spell checker to correct spelling. Rhyming dictionaries are simply tools that help aspiring rappers create better rhymes. If you're reading this article, you are obviously interested in improving your writing, so use all the tools that are available to you, and have a good time doing it!