Writing a song or a poem is a nightmare when you're stuck on a word as common as today. It's everywhere. You've got it in your journals, your pop lyrics, and your Slack messages. But let's be real—if you use "away" or "stay" for the hundredth time, your readers are going to tune out.
Rhyming isn't just about matching sounds. It’s about the vibe. The word "today" ends in that long "a" sound (/eɪ/), which is one of the most versatile phonemes in the English language. Linguists call this an open syllable because it doesn’t end in a consonant. That’s why it feels so breezy and easy to rhyme with. But easy can be a trap.
What Words Rhyme With Today and Why It Matters
Most people just want a quick list. They want to finish that birthday card and move on with their life. But if you’re actually trying to write something that sticks in someone’s head, you need to understand the difference between a perfect rhyme and a slant rhyme.
A perfect rhyme for today would be something like delay, display, or array. These share the exact same vowel sound and trailing silence. However, "today" is a iambic word—the stress is on the second syllable (to-DAY). This is crucial. If you rhyme it with a word like "yesterday," it’s technically a rhyme, but the meter feels clunky because "yesterday" stresses the first syllable (YES-ter-day).
The Heavy Hitters: Common Single-Syllable Rhymes
If you're looking for simplicity, you’ve got the classics. Day, say, play, way, may, and ray. These are the bread and butter of English poetry. Think about how many times you've heard a chorus go something like "I'm leaving today / I’m going away." It works. It’s catchy. But honestly? It’s a bit lazy.
Let's look at some others that carry a bit more weight:
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- Grey (or Gray): Good for setting a mood. It feels muted.
- Slay: Very modern, very high-energy, though maybe a bit aggressive for a love poem.
- Tray: Super specific. Unless you’re writing about a waiter or a cafeteria, it’s hard to wedge in.
- Pray: Carries a lot of emotional baggage and gravity.
- Fray: Implies conflict or things falling apart.
Multi-Syllabic Gems for Better Flow
This is where things get interesting. When you use multi-syllabic rhymes, you sound like you actually put effort into your writing. Words like betray, convey, dismay, and portray offer a much more sophisticated texture.
Take the word ricochet. It’s phonetically brilliant. It rhymes perfectly with today, but it adds a sharp, percussive energy to the sentence. Or consider cabaret. It brings a sense of theater and vintage flair that "stay" just can't touch.
Beyond the Basics: Near Rhymes and Consonance
Sometimes, a perfect rhyme is too "on the nose." It sounds like a nursery rhyme. If you want to sound more like Taylor Swift or Kendrick Lamar, you lean into slant rhymes (or "near rhymes").
These are words that almost rhyme but have a slight deviation. Words like gate, fade, or shape. They share that long "a" vowel but end in a soft consonant.
Why do this? Because it keeps the listener on their toes. It’s less predictable. If I’m writing about how I’m feeling today, and I follow it up with something about the "haze," the connection is there, but it’s subtle. It’s sophisticated.
The Science of the Long A Sound
In the Great Vowel Shift of the 15th through 18th centuries, the way we pronounce words like today changed drastically. Before that, it might have sounded more like "to-dah." Imagine trying to rhyme with that! We’re lucky we live in an era where the long "a" is so prevalent.
According to various linguistic studies, the /eɪ/ sound is among the most frequent in English because of its presence in common verbs. This means when you’re looking for what words rhyme with today, you aren't just looking at nouns; you're looking at the very backbone of how we describe action. Pay, stay, play, stray. Actions define our days.
How to Use These Rhymes Without Sounding Cheesy
You’ve got your list. Now what? The biggest mistake people make is forcing the rhyme at the expense of the meaning. This is called "rhyme-driving." You see it in bad greeting cards all the time.
"I woke up today,
And saw a blue jay,
He flew far away."
That’s terrible. Nobody cares about the blue jay. You only put him there because he rhymed.
Instead, try to flip it. Put the most important word at the end of the second line. If the most important thing you want to say is that you’re feeling dismay, then start your first line with something that ends in today. It makes the emotional payoff feel earned rather than forced.
Contextual Rhyming: Matching the Vibe
You have to match the vocabulary to the subject matter. If you are writing a business presentation and trying to be clever, don't use "sashay." Use survey or convey.
If you're writing a rap, you can get away with DNA or NBA. The acronyms are your friends here. They rhyme perfectly with the "ay" sound and add a modern, cultural layer to the text.
Surprising Words You Didn't Know Rhyme
There are some weird ones out there. Words borrowed from French are a goldmine for rhyming with today.
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- Chiffonier: Actually, wait, that doesn't work. Let's look at fiancé.
- Attaché: Very professional, very sleek.
- Café: Simple, evocative.
- Sachet: Smells like lavender and old drawers.
- Exposé: Sounds like a scandal.
Then you have the more technical or obscure ones. Declaim doesn't work, but defray does. To defray costs is to pay for them. It’s a boring word, but in the right poem about poverty or debt, it’s a gut-punch.
Does "Yesterday" Rhyme with "Today"?
Technically, yes. It's an identical rhyme or a "rich rhyme" because they share the same suffix. But in the world of poetry and songwriting, this is often looked down upon. It’s like rhyming "car" with "racecar." It feels a bit like cheating.
However, poets like Emily Dickinson often used repetition of the same word to create a sense of monotony or obsession. If your poem is about the endless cycle of time, rhyming today with yesterday might actually be a brilliant thematic choice. It shows that nothing is changing.
Actionable Steps for Better Rhyming
If you’re staring at a blank page and "today" is mocking you, stop using a standard rhyming dictionary for a second. Those things are programmed by bots that don't understand context.
First, write out what you actually want to say in plain English. Don't worry about the rhyme. "I'm feeling really stressed today because I have too much work."
Now, look at that last word. Today. What rhymes with it that fits the "stressed" vibe?
- Fray (as in, "my nerves are starting to fray")
- Gray (the color of the office walls)
- Weight (a slant rhyme for that heavy feeling)
- Price to pay (a multi-word rhyme)
Suddenly, your writing has depth. You aren't just finding a word that sounds the same; you're finding a word that feels the same.
Use a Rhyme Map
Instead of just a list, think in clusters.
- Nature Cluster: Bay, spray, ray, clay, hay.
- Social Cluster: Say, convey, portray, betray, obey.
- Motion Cluster: Away, stray, sway, highway, gateway.
By grouping words this way, you can stay within the "world" of your poem. If you're writing about the ocean, you’ll gravitate toward the nature cluster. It keeps your imagery consistent.
The Power of the Penultimate Syllable
Sometimes the best rhyme for today isn't at the end of the next line. It's in the middle of it. This is called internal rhyme.
"Today was a gray day, a stray dog in the way."
This creates a rolling, rhythmic feel that can be much more hypnotic than a standard AABB rhyme scheme. It makes the prose feel musical without being "poem-y."
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Final Thoughts on Rhyming with Today
The word "today" is a gateway. It’s a common, accessible word that opens up hundreds of possibilities. Whether you go with the simple "stay" or the complex "disarray," the key is intentionality. Don't let the rhyme dictate your meaning. Make the rhyme serve the story you're trying to tell.
Next time you're stuck, try looking at the French-origin words or the slant rhymes. They offer a texture that the standard "day/may/say" trio just can't provide.
To take this a step further, grab a notebook and try to write five lines ending in today, but for each one, use a different "type" of rhyme—one single-syllable, one multi-syllable, one slant rhyme, one French-origin word, and one internal rhyme. It’s the fastest way to train your brain to see the musicality in everyday language.