Rhyming Compounds
Listed by Category
This page contains our current glossary of rhyming compounds organized according to the categories discussed in Dr. Goodword's essay. For details, read Dr. Goodword's essay on sing-songy rhyming compounds in English. Asterisks mark the latest additions to the glossary. Click here for the same glossary listed alphabetically.
| English Rhyming Compounds | |
| Alliterative Compounds | |
| Word | Definition |
| cha-ching | The sound of a cash register. |
| chit-chat | Light conversation |
| creepy-crawly | A small frightening flightless creature |
| chitter-chatter | Idle talk |
| crisscross | To move back & forth |
| dilly-dally | Dawdle, move slowly |
| ding-dong | Bell sound |
| doodad | Trinket |
| fiddle-faddle | Nonsense |
| flim-flam | Con game |
| flip-flop | Thong slippers; change of mind |
| flotsam-jetsam | Sea garbage |
| fribble-frabble | Nonsense |
| gibble-gabble | Nonsense talk, drivel |
| heigh-ho | Exclamation of jollity or boredom |
| hee-haw | Mule sound |
| hip-hop | Chanting music |
| hothead | Easily angered person |
| jim-jams | Pajamas; the jitters (archaic) |
| jingle-jangle | Sound of metal pieces |
| KitKat | Commercial candy name |
| kitty-cat | A cat |
| klip-klop | Sound of hooves |
| knick-knack | Trinket |
| linsey-woolsey | Coarse wool fabric |
| niddle-noddle | To nod unsteadily |
| nid-nod | Nod repeatedly |
| peewee | Very small |
| pickpocket | Pocket thief |
| pish-posh | Nonsense |
| pit-pat | Heartbeat |
| pitter-patter | Sound of little feet |
| prittle-prattle | Idle chatter, babble |
| rickrack | Zigzag trim for clothing |
| riff-raff | Low life, worthless people |
| seesaw | A teeter-totter; to go back and forth |
| teeter-totter | Wobble; a seesaw |
| tick-tock | Sound of an old clock |
| tip-top | Very best |
| tipsy-topsy | Head over heels |
| tittle-tattle | Idle chatter |
| twiddle-twaddle | Gab, superficial talk |
| whipper-snapper | An upstart |
| wiggle-waggle | Waggling back and forth |
| wishy-washy | Indecisive, vacillating |
| zig-zag | Move back and forth |
| Click Here for an Explanation of these Categories | |
| Complex Compounds | |
| Compound | Definition |
| bric-a-brac, bricabrac | Cheap decorative objects |
| chug-a-lug | To drink down in one swallow |
| clickety-clack | Heavy clicking |
| cock-a-doodle-doo | Rooster sound |
| cock-a-leekie | Chicken-leek soup |
| ding-a-ling | Bell sound; foolish person |
| flibbertigibbet | A talkative airhead |
| fuss budget | Fussy person |
| hippety-hop | Hopping |
| hoopty-doo | Interjection of excitement |
| hunky-dory | OK, alright |
| jiggery-pokery | Trickery |
| ka-ching | The sound of a cash register. |
| lickety-split | Fast |
| oopsy-daisey | Exclamation when something falls |
| ratta-tat(-tat) | Drum roll, drum sound |
| razzmatazz | Dazzling display |
| ring-a-ding-ding | Happy interjection |
| ring-a-ling | Bell sound |
| rooty-toot(-toot) | Sound of brass instrument |
| sasafrass | Rootbeer plant |
| tic-tac-toe | Simple game |
| topsy-turvy | Confused |
| yakety-yack | Droning chatter |
| whirly bird | Helicopter |
| Tweedledum & Tweedledee | Two identical things |
| Click Here for an Explanation of these Categories | |
| Duplicative Compounds | |
| Compound | Definition |
| Coco | French nickname |
| Fifi | French nickname |
| Gigi | French nickname |
| Mimi | French nickname |
| bling-bling | Jewelry |
| bon-bon | Candy |
| couscous | Steamed semolina |
| dadaism | Absurdist art |
| dodo | Extinct bird |
| doo-doo | Mess in your pants |
| frou-frou | Fussy stuff added to attire |
| ga-ga | Wide-eyed, awed |
| gogo | Fast paced (music) |
| goo-goo | Baby talk. |
| goody-goody | A smugly or affectedly virtuous person. |
| ha-ha | Normal laugh |
| hee-hee | High-pitched laugh |
| he-he | Conniving laugh |
| ho-ho | Deep laugh |
| hubba-hubba | Disparaging salute to women |
| mau-mau | To terrorize |
| pee-pee | Wet your pants |
| poo-poo | Poop |
| pooh-pooh | Dismiss as trivial |
| putt-putt | Sound of toy motorboat |
| tutu | Short ballet skirt |
| yadda-yadda-yadda | Etc., chatter, verbiage |
| Click Here for an Explanation of these Categories | |
| Rhyming Compounds | |
| Compound | Definition |
| argle-bargle | Argument or fight |
| artsy-fartsy | Fake-art |
| backpack | Satchel carried on back |
| bigwig | Important person |
| black-jack | Card game |
| bogo | Buy one, get one (free) |
| boob tube | Television set |
| boogie-woogie | Fast jazz dance |
| claptrap | Cheap talk |
| fast track | Expedited service |
| fuddy-duddy | Old-fashioned person |
| fuzzy-wuzzy | Really fuzzy. |
| handy-dandy | Quite useful |
| hanky-panky | Questionable activity |
| heebie-jeebies | Chills of fright |
| helter-skelter | in all directions |
| hi-fi | High quality sound |
| higgledy-piggledy | Disorganized |
| hobnob | Hang around with |
| hocus-pocus | Trickery |
| hoi-poloi | Ordinary people |
| hoity-toity | Showing off |
| hokey-pokey | Dance, ice cream |
| holus-bolus | All together |
| honky-tonk | Sleazy saloon |
| hootchy-kootchy | Dirty dance |
| hotshot | Important person |
| hubbub | Noisy mixture of sounds |
| hubble-bubble | Hubbub |
| hubbly-bubbly | Hookah |
| hugger-mugger | Secrecy; in secret |
| humdrum | Boringly routine. |
| Humpty-Dumpty | Nursery rhyme name (egg) |
| hurdy-gurdy | Cranked musical instrument |
| hurly-burly | Tumult, bustle, confusion |
| itsy-bitsy | Very, very little |
| itty-bitty | Very, very little |
| jelly belly | Protruding stomach |
| Ju-jubes | Commercial candy name |
| legal beagle | Agressive lawyer |
| loosey-goosey | Very relaxed |
| lovey-dovey | Affectionate(ly) |
| miminy-piminy | Prim and proper |
| Miss Priss | Prissy litle girl |
| moo-juice | Milk |
| mumbo-jumbo | Unintelligible speech |
| nightlight | Small electric light |
| niminy-piminy | Prim and proper |
| nitty-gritty | The details of the essence |
| nitwit | Dumb person |
| nolens-volens | Like it or not |
| oops-a-daisey | Exclamation for a fall or lifting |
| okey-dokey | OK |
| pall-mall | Old stick-and-ball game |
| palsy-walsy | Suspiciously friendly |
| payday | When salaries are paid |
| pell-mell | In a rush |
| pooper-scooper | Pet dropping scoop |
| potshot | Easy shot |
| prime time | TV programs 8 to 11 PM |
| raggle-taggle | Strangely mixed |
| ragtag | Ragged, disorganized |
| razzle-dazzle | Showiness |
| roister-doister | Loud-mouth, cut-up, show-off |
| roly-poly | Round |
| rooty-toot | Sound of brass instrument |
| Scooby-Doo | The name of a cartoon dog. |
| shilly-shally | Delay, lag behind |
| silly Willy | Casual nickname |
| sing-song | Boringly monotonic |
| slangwhang | Rant nonsense |
| slap-happy | Crazy happy |
| slo-mo | Slow motion (movies) |
| Soho | Area of London |
| tee-hee | High pitched laugh |
| teeny-weeny | Very small. |
| Tex-Mex | Texas-Mexican |
| tutti-frutti | Italian ice cream flavor |
| voodoo | Caribbean magic |
| walkie-talkie | Two-way hand-held portable radio. |
| whing-ding | Wild party |
| wing-ding | Wild party |
| wi-fi | Wideband wireless network |
| willy-nilly | Like it or not; randomly |
| Click Here for an Explanation of these Categories | |
| SH-Rule Compounds | |
| Compound | Definition |
| candy-shmandy | Candy my eye! |
| fancy-shmancy | Fancy my eye! |
| fishy-shmishy | Fishy my eye! |
| girdle-shmirdle | Girdle my eye! |
| salary-shmalary | Salary my eye! |
| Click Here for an Explanation of these Categories | |
Thank you to the following contributors: Lenore Taylor, Dr. Robert Whittier, . . .
Other Resources You Might Enjoy
- Dr. Goodword's Essay on Rhyming Compounds
- The alphaDictionary Glossary of Rhyming Compounds in Alphabetical Order
- The alphaDictionary Rebel-Yankee Test has been enjoyed by more than 3 million people. See what all the excitement is about.
- Dr. Goodword's Glossary of Quaint Southernisms. If you enjoyed the Rebel-Yankee test, you will probably enjoy these linguistic differences between North and South.
- Dr. Goodword's Mini Linguistic Course. Learn the basics of language from a professor of linguistics in an hour.
- Dictionaries, Glossaries, and Word Lists. Lists of words that are problems to spell, pronounce, and remember—all by a widely published and respected specialist.
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