July 3, 1998

Whether you're composing bad poetry, penning song lyrics or just writing pun-infested newspaper headlines, a rhyming dictionary can save you a great deal of time – especially if it's right on the Web, at http:// www.link.cs.cmu.edu/dougb/rhyme-doc.html. It's both effective and quick, although – as with any piece of software – it has its goofs, sometimes relying on obscure pronunciations of familiar words. Keep in mind its different options; select "Match last sound only" instead of "Find perfect rhymes" to get more suggestions. Or, if you pick something that's too rhyming-friendly, try the "Exclude obscure words" preference. Note that if a word's not in its dictionary – for instance, certain polysyllabic Italian surnames – you'll have to come up with a word that rhymes with it first. The site also includes options to look up homonyms and synonyms and check the spellings of words, via the excellent Web-based version of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm.

– Rob Pegoraro rob@twp.com