I am grateful for rhyming dictionaries.
I used to think that rhyming dictionaries were for losers. I mean, who doesn’t know how to rhyme? Then I realized how much time I spend making lists of rhyming words. It happens both at work and, with my silly limericks, at home. Why should I spend effort on rhyming when someone else has already done the work? I shouldn’t!
So now I own two rhyming dictionaries. My favorite is the Scholastic Rhyming Dictionary. It’s intended for children, but it has all of the common rhymes, which is more than enough for simple limerick-writing. It’s so easy to use that it’s a joy to own. I also have the Oxford Rhyming Dictionary. It’s not as easy to use, but it’s huge and definitive. For serious work, it’s just the thing. It lists not only exact rhymes, but also near-rhymes, which are key if you’re writing songs.
And in case you were wondering what words really do rhyme with GRATITUDE, there’s ATTITUDE, LATITUDE, and one of my all-time favorite words, PLATITUDE.