Songwriting Tools – Rhyming Dictionary And Thesaurus

The world is full of words.

For me, writing lyrics can be a challenge in itself. Any tool that make it easier for me to put down my songwriting ideas from head to paper should be adopted into my songwriting process.

The two main tools I generally use in writing lyrics are a rhyming dictionary and thesaurus. You can find them online too.

These tools enable me to expand my vocabulary and put down my ideas in a much more original and descriptive fashion.

Writing lyrics is all about making sure that the story I’m trying to tell or the concept that I’m trying to impart is told in a way that is totally, 100% me.

To do this requires a broad understanding of the language at my disposal, hence the importance of the rhyming dictionary and thesaurus

If you go into a good bookshop you’ll be able to purchase these important songwriting tools but there are also some really good online versions available for you to use for free.

I have chosen the most popular of each version for a brief discussion.

Rhyming Dictionary

Of course when you spot a tool like this for free, it normally means that it’s a demo or sample of the commercial version. This is not an exception.

However, in saying that, the demo version is a very good one and in my use of it over the last six months I have not found the need to purchase the full version. I haven’t exhausted its capabilities as yet.

You’ll find in this demo a limited sample of one and two sylable rhymes but generally this is sufficiant. All you do is type in the word you want to find rhymes for and off you go. It gives you a really good list of results.

The way I find a rhyming dictionary useful is that I see words that I probably would not have thought of as words to end a line with.

When I spot one of these words I immediately see a whole new line flash before me and that is all I need to start writing again. I am always amazed how just one new word can launch a whole new tangent.

Of course you need to be open to the possibilities in the first place.

Thesaurus

This tool is so valuble to a songwriter no matter how experienced they are. This site is both a thesaurus and a dictionary in one so you are getting double the value from the site.

Quite simply a thesaurus is a book of synonyms. These are words that have the same or nearly the same meaning as another word.

For example, if I type the word SONG into the thesaurus I would get these results:

Anthem
Ballad
Chant
Chorus
Lullaby
Lyric
Melody
Tune

The thesaurus enables me to describe stories, concepts and situations much better. It allows me to put a new twist onto the same old phrases and cliches that I tend to fall back on when I get a stuck on something.

My challenge to you is this. Adopt both of these tools into your songwriting process and see what happens.

If you are stuck, use the tools to brainstorm ideas and let your mind become open to whatever possibility appears before you. Once the possibility is realised then run with it.

Sometimes not knowing where you are going can be fun.

Until next time, happy writing,

Corey Stewart
Singer/Songwriter/Musician

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