How to Write a Sonnet
Here's an easy guide on how to write a sonnet, with examples and prompts to inspire you! For more writing ideas, be sure to join our free email group.
What's a sonnet?
Sonnets are a kind of rhymed poem written in iambic pentameter. That's a rhythm that sounds like this: bah-BAH bah-BAH bah-BAH bah-BAH bah-BAH.
An iamb is a rhythmic unit that includes an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed one. It has the rhythm bah-BAH, as in the words "about," or "predict," or "parade." Iambic pentameter is a line of poetry consisting of five iambs. Here are two sentences in iambic pentameter:
- The book explained another way to write.
- I think I'll take a walk around the block.
Hear it? bah-BAH bah-BAH bah-BAH bah-BAH bah-BAH.
There are different kinds of sonnets, but I'm going to talk about the Shakespearian sonnet, also called the English sonnet. The Shakespearian sonnet has fourteen lines in iambic pentameter that are divided into three groups of four lines and one group of two lines. The rhyme scheme looks like this: abab cdcd efef gg. I'll explain.
When a rhyme scheme is written in this way, each of the letters stands for one line. An "a" line rhymes with another "a" line, a "d" line rhymes with another "d" line, etc. So in a Shakespearian sonnet, the first line (a) rhymes with the third line (also called "a"). The second line (b) rhymes with the fourth line (also called "b"). The final two lines of the poem (gg) rhyme with each other.
Here's an example of a sonnet by Shakespeare written in this form. I'll mark each end rhyme with a letter:
Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck, (a)
And yet methinks I have astronomy, (b)
But not to tell of good, or evil luck, (a)
Of plagues, of dearths, or seasons' quality,(b)
Nor can I fortune to brief minutes tell; (c)
Pointing to each his thunder, rain and wind, (d)
Or say with princes if it shall go well (c)
By oft predict that I in heaven find. (d)
But from thine eyes my knowledge I derive, (e)
And constant stars in them I read such art (f)
As truth and beauty shall together thrive (e)
If from thy self, to store thou wouldst convert: (f)
Or else of thee this I prognosticate, (g)
Thy end is truth's and beauty's doom and date. (g)
You may notice that some of the rhymes are not exact. For example, "art" and "convert" have the same final sound, but the vowel sounds ("a" in art and "e" in convert) are different. This is an example of what is called off-rhyme, or slant-rhyme. You can read about different kinds of rhymes here.
Prompts for writing a sonnet
Ready to try writing a sonnet? Below are some six sentences in iambic pentameter. If you want, use them as starting points for your own poetry. For example, you could use one as the first line of a sonnet. You might even find a way to combine several of them in the same poem.
- The night was icy but I didn't mind
- Your fingerprints were all around the room
- My father never tells me what he thinks
- I dreamed I couldn't find my way back home
- There's something hiding underneath my bed
- The second time is never quite the same
- I couldn't think of anything to say
How to Write a Sonnet - Next Steps
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