Sonnet Variations

Sonnet Variations - Quick Reference
         Lead          [-]

         

Notes:

By no means is this listing exhaustive and if the reader feels I have missed a variant please add in a comment and I will place it in the list.

I have included some variants which to say the least are controversial. This is to encourage a sense of experimentation without which the sonnet would not be the wonderful poem we know and love.

Unless otherwise stated consistent iambic pentameter or decasyllabic lines are a given parameter but that is open to poetic license.

A
Alfred Dorn Sonnet – abcabc dd aeaeae
American Sonnet – aBacbcbd cdcbdB
Arabian Sonnet – aaaabbbb cccddd
Asean Sonnet – aaaaaaaa aaaaaa
Australian Sonnet – abab cdcd effe gg

B
Blank Verse – xxxxxxxxx xxxxxx
Blues Sonnet – AAa BBb CCc DDd ee
Brisbane Sonnet – abcabc defdef gg

C
Canadian Sonnet (English Structure) – abba cddc effe gg
Canadian Sonnet (Italian Structure) – abbacddc effegg
Cerispring Sonnet (Alternating tetrameter and trimeter with central couplet in tetrameter) – aba bcb dd cec efe
Chivalric Sonnet – xaxa xbxb xcxc dd
Choi’s Sonnet – abab bbcc cdcd dd
Cornish Sonnet i – Abacbc Dedfef AD
Cornish Sonnet ii – abacbC dedfeF CF
Cornish Sonnet iii – Abacbc dedfeF AF
Cornish Sonnet iv – abacbC Dedfef CD
Curtal Sonnet (last line is a spondee or short line) – abcabc dbcdc

E
Echo Sonnet – a1bba2 acca2 adda2 a1a2
Elemental Sonnet – abab ccddcc fgfg
Elfin Stanza Sonnet – abba abab ba baba
English (Shakespearian) Sonnet – abab cdcd efef gg
Envelope Sonnet – abbacddc efgefg
Envelope Sonnet (Caudated) – abbacddc efefef ghhgii

F
Fatima Stanza Sonnet – ababbcbc cccdcd
Flying Bird Sonnet – aaaa bbccbb aaaa
Four Kings Sonnet – abbaabba abbaab
Freestyle Sonnet i – aaaaaa bbccddee
Freestyle Sonnet ii – aabbcddc eefegg
Freestyle Sonnet iii – abba cdcd xxxxii
French Sonnet i – abbaabba ccdccd
French Sonnet ii – abbaabba ccdede
French Sonnet iii – abbaabba ccdeed
French Sonnet iv – abababab ccdccd
French Sonnet v – abababab ccdede
French Sonnet vi – abababab ccdeed
French Sonnet vii – abababcc ddedde
French Sonnet viii – abababcc ddefef
French Sonnet ix – abababcc ddeffe

G
German Sonnet – abbabccb cddcdd

H
Heroic Sonnet – aabbccdd eeffgg
Hierarchal Sonnet – aabbbbcc ccdddd

I
Indonesian Sonnet – abab abab abab ab
Irish Sonnet – abab bcbc cdcd dd
Italian Sonnet i – abbaabba cdcdcd
Italian Sonnet ii – abbaabba cddcee
Italian Sonnet iii – abbaabba cdecde
Italian Sonnet iv – abababab cdecde
Italian Sonnet v – abababcc defdef
Italian Sonnet vi – abababcc dedede

J
John Dee Sonnet – aabbaabb bcbcbc
John Milton’s Caudated Sonnet – abbaabba cdecde effegg

K
Keats’ Sonnet – abc abd cab cde de
Korean Sonnet – aaaaaa bbbbbbbb
Kyrielle Sonnet (Iambic tetrameter) – AbaB cbcB dbdB AB

L
Lunatic Sonnet – aaab bbcc cddd ee
Luzvimninda’s Sonnet – aaaa bbbb cccc dd

M
Mabini Sonnet – abbaccaa ddaeea
Malayan Sonnet – aaba bbcb ccdc dd
Malayan Sonnet (Caudated) – aaba bbcb ccdc ddde eeff
Marshalline Sonnet (9-syllable line) – abab cdcd efef gg
Melenesian Sonnet – aabaaaba aababb
Mirrored 18-line Sonnet – abbaabba cc abbaabba

N
New Zealand Sonnet – abab bbcc cdcd ee
Nightingale Sonnet (9-syllable lines) – axxb axcb xcxb ac

P
Pantoum Sonnet – a1b1a2b2 b1c1b2c2 c1dc2d a2a1
Passion Sonnet – a1ba2b1 bcb1c b1dbd a1a2
Philippine Sonnet i – aaaa bbbb aaaa cc
Philippine Sonnet ii – aaaa bbbb cccc bb
Polynesian Sonnet – aaxa bbxb ccxc dd
Pope John XXXIII Sonnet – aaaa bbbb cc dddd
Pushkin’s Sonnet – abab ccdd effegg

R
Romblomanon Sonnet – aaaa bb cccc dddd
Rosarian Sonnet i – aabcc ddbee fggf
Rosarian Sonnet ii – aabcc ddbee fgfg
Rosarian Sonnet iii – aabcc ddbee bbff
Rubaiyat Sonnet – aaba bbcb ccdc aa

S
Sapphic Ode Sonnet (3 quatrains composed of 3 lines of iambic tetrameter and a 4th line of iambic dimeter, closing couplet in iambic tetrameter) – abab cdcd efef gg
Saraband Sonnet i – axa bcbc dxd efef
Saraband Sonnet ii – axa bcbc dxd effe
Saraband Sonnet iii – axa bcbc dxd eeff
Saraband Sonnet iv – axa bccb dxd efef
Saraband Sonnet v – axa bccb dxd effe
Saraband Sonnet vi -  axa bccb dxd eeff
Saraband Sonnet vii – axa bbcc dxd efef
Saraband Sonnet viii – axa bbcc dxd effe
Saraband Sonnet ix – axa bbcc dxd eeff
Schupan’s Sonnet – abccba deffed gg
Shelley’s Sonnet – ababacdc edefef
Sicilian Sonnet – abababab cdcdcd
Spanish Sonnet i – abababab cdccdc
Spanish Sonnet ii – abbaabba cdccdc
Spanish Sonnet iii – abababcc dedded
Spenserian Sonnet – abab bcbc cdcd ee
Swannet – a1bba2 cddc effe a1a2

T
Taichi Sonnet (Caudated) – aabb cccc ddee ffff gghh
Teacher-Pupil Sonnet – aaaaaaaa bbbbbb
Tennyson-Turner’s Sonnet – abab cdcd effe fe
Terza Rima Sonnet i – aba bcb cdc ded ee
Terza Rima Sonnet ii – aaa bbb cc ddd eee
Terza Rima Sonnet iii – aba bcb cc bcb aba
Terza Rima Sonnet iv – aba cbc dbd ebe bb
Triolet Sonnet (8-syllable lines) – ABaAab ABaAab AB
Tuckerman’s Sonnet – abbabcab adeced

U
Unmirrored 18-line Sonnet – abbaabba cc deeddeed
Unnamed Sonnet i – aaa bcbcbcbc aaa
Unnamed Sonnet ii – aaaa b aaaa b aaaa
Unnamed Sonnet iii – aababbcb cdcdcd
Unnamed Sonnet iv – aabaccbc ddbdbb
Unnamed Sonnet v –aa bbab ccbc ddcd
Unnamed Sonnet vi – aabbbbcc ddddee
Unnamed Sonnet vii – aabbccdd ccbbaa
Unnamed Sonnet viii – aabcbcdd efefgg
Unnamed Sonnet ix – ababbaba abababa
Unnamed Sonnet x – ababbaba dedeff
Unnamed Sonnet xi – abab cccc dede ff
Unnamed Sonnet xii – ababcdcd eefgfg
Unnamed Sonnet xiii – ababcdcd efegfg
Unnamed Sonnet xiv – ababcdcd effegg
Unnamed Sonnet xv – abbaaccadefdef
Unnamed Sonnet xvi – abbababa abbaba

V
Visser Sonnet - Internal rhyme abbaabba cdecde

W
Walian Sonnet (Iambic tetrameter with a line of iambic dimeter every fourth line, couplet tetrameter and dimeter/both dimeter or both tetrameter – abab bcbc cdcd ee
Welsh Sonnet (8-syllable lines) aabbccdd eeffgg
Wordsworth’s Sonnet – abba acca dede ff
Wyatt’s Sonnet – abba acca dee dff