This section of Learn Rhyme and Reason in Songwriting talks about what not to do when rhyming.
Eye Rhymes:
It looks like the words should rhyme, but they don’t. They should be avoided in pop lyrics.
care/caress, boot/soot
Homonyms:
Here we see another non-rhyme. Homonyms contain the same sounds with different spellings and meanings.
More often than not, you avoid them, unless you have the rare situation where repeated words represents the best option. In that case, homonyms might work too.
pair/pear, time/thyme
Moon/June Rhymes:
Mobile Users: the following lyrics look better if you rotate your phone 90o to the right.
Moon/June rhymes equals cliché and hackneyed rhymes. You identify them when the listener can predict your rhyme. In fact, the best way to test for lazy rhyming: see if you can guess what comes next.
For example:
Hear we stand beneath the moon
My heart aches, you’re leaving (cliché rhyme)
But now, in pale light, clasped hand in hand
Against the world we’ll make our (cliché rhyme)
And after you’re gone, I will be blue
But to our love I will stay (cliché rhyme)
Moon/June rhymes are deadly to a song. At best, your lyrics lose impact. At worst, your listener becomes board and tunes out your song.
Always dig deeper with your rhymes and constantly look for something beyond the easiest first option. Striving for better represents the craft of songwriting at its best.
Forced Rhymes:
Be careful not to force a rhyme just because you don’t have any other word that will fit. Doing this yields bad word choices and can also lead to oddly inverted lines. Slant rhymes can help relieve the pressure to force rhymes.