Rating: 
Summary: I want my money back!
Review: Being a lyricist (ck. home.earthlink.net/~paulkruger), I've been using Wood's Unabridged Rhyming Dictionary for so many years the book has begun to fall aprt. (Never realized till a few weeks ago, the edition I have was published in 1943.) It was time to replace it. Or so I thought.
Clement Wood's genius was to divide each section so that you could see at a glance words which have the same sound (e.g., approved, improved, reproved, etc.) and, therefore, were not true rhymes. So what does this appallingly dreadful edition do? They list all words alphabetically regardless of sound!
No wonder one of the editors is named Bogus.
Rating:
Summary: I want my money back!
Review: Being a lyricist (ck. home.earthlink.net/~paulkruger), I've been using Wood's Unabridged Rhyming Dictionary for so many years the book has begun to fall aprt. (Never realized till a few weeks ago, the edition I have was published in 1943.) It was time to replace it. Or so I thought.
Clement Wood's genius was to divide each section so that you could see at a glance words which have the same sound (e.g., approved, improved, reproved, etc.) and, therefore, were not true rhymes. So what does this appallingly dreadful edition do? They list all words alphabetically regardless of sound!
No wonder one of the editors is named Bogus.
Rating: 
Summary: The best rhyming dictionary . . . period!
Review: Every poet needs have three essential tools: 1) a great dictionary, 2) a great thesaurus, and 3) this rhyming dictionary. True, the phonetic format takes some getting used to. True, some of the comments Wood makes in the introduction are condescending and downright insufferable. But the dictionary itself is the most comprehensive one on the market. And the breakdown of words into one, two, and three-syllable formats will save you a lot of time. I also love the fact that the words are listed one per line. That makes navigating the word jungle much less stressful. Oh, and by the way, buy yourself a hardback copy right off the bat. It will save you money in the long run compared to buying the paperback edition over and over again every time you wear it out. Songwriters . . . this means you, too!
Rating: 
Summary: British buyers beware!
Review: Finding rhymes by phonetics is something you will appreciate in time, and it really isn't all that hard, even for foreigners like myself. The book is large, well-structured, and has a lot of what we are all looking for: Rhymes. Unfortunately, the rhymes are US English rhymes, which for the UK English speaker (and some Canadians) means:1. Wrong phonetics for some words. Try as you might with your British ear, "fire" is not where it's supposed to be.
2. Some words are listed as rhymes that simply don't rhyme in UK English.
3. Some UK English rhymes are listed as non-rhymes, like "forge" and "gorge". But this is of course a problem with all US made rhyming dictionaries. If you are a US buyer, there is no reason for you not to buy the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Thorough, but...
Review: For pedants and poets. Songwriters should skip it and look for something a little more intuitive and easier to understand.
Rating:
Summary: A great reasource for poets.
Review: I have found this book to be of great use since the time that I bought it. Having the words arranged by rhyming sounds helps out tremendously. It has separate sections of two and three syllable rhymings. Plus, there is a guide in the front of the book describing the different rules of rhyming and different rhyming style styles. Very useful.
Rating:
Summary: great resource for poets
Review: I think this book is a great resourcce for poets and songwriters which is what I use it for. Definately go by this book if you like to rhyme stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Invaluable.
Review: I'm not surprised that people who purchased this book also bought TuneSmith by Jimmy Webb since he recommended Clement Wood's Dictionary. That's why I bought it and I can see that it's going to be referenced to tatters soon.
Rating:
Summary: Incompetent and Insufferable
Review: In _The Poet's Craft Book_ that begins this edition, we're treated to an absurd dissertation on why 'north' and 'forth' don't rhyme. In the rhyming dictionary, you won't find 'north' and 'forth' as rhymes either. You will find 'gone' rhymed with 'John' and not with 'dawn.' I don't know what dialect of English the editor speaks, but it isn't mine, and it isn't standard American broadcast English, either. It wouldn't be quite so annoying without the preposterous hautiness of the section on incorrect rhymes in _The Poet's Craft Book_--while the dictionary rhymes 'miniature' and 'moor.'
Rating:
Summary: prefer the earlier edition
Review: It's very sad that vital books have to be "updated" and "revised" to accomodate the writing careers of persons unable to create vital books themselves. Some of the original Clement Woods comes through here, but see if you can get hold of the earlier edition instead. Also recommended: PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.
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